


Check In

by criesmom



Series: Check In AU [1]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Drug Dealer au, Drug Dealing, M/M, Multi, Original Character Death(s), accounting major mingyu, anyway, english major hansol, everyone is fucking gay, hansol is a sof bf to his storm of a lover seungcheol, it isn't shown in the thing tho it happened before the fic was set, it's not explicitly in there but just know ... he's trans, music major seungcheol, music major wonwoo, trans man mingyu, who btw is the leader of the lil gay gang, wonwoo is highkey self destructive which worries his sweet bf mingyu
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-01
Updated: 2017-06-13
Packaged: 2018-08-28 13:05:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 37,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8447044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/criesmom/pseuds/criesmom
Summary: Hansol enjoys working in his boyfriend Seungcheol's shop, even if it means helping to cover up the drug dealing service in the back room. And while Seungcheol tries to protect Hansol from the business, he also has to help Mingyu look after his own, self destructive boyfriend Wonwoo.





	1. Chapter 1

Hansol sat out front as he usually did, waiting for someone to come into the shop and relieve his boredom a little. It wasn’t that he didn’t like working there – helping out with his boyfriend’s business and spending time with him – but said business was a bit slow for his liking. Most day he spent hours behind the counter, sat up on a stool and reading a book he had pulled from the shelves.

If anything could be said of his time working in The Shop, (Seungcheol insisted it be capitalised), it was that he read a lot more than he used to. The Shop was a wide collection of second hand cast offs, things ranging from clothes to furniture to jewellery to books and really anything else Hansol could think of. He had come to be fond of the clutter, (spare the collection of china cats and cows he stashed away in one corner of The Shop), and had taken to reading through the battered books that filled several bookshelves. It was an easy way to pass the time, and they made for great conversation whenever his parents visited the city and took him out to dinner.

It was a particularly stuffy day and he was reading Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbervilles, wiping sweat from his brow. Business had been slow as usual, with just two visitors coming in to look around, leaving promptly after discovering the china cats and cows. A few hours before closing time, Seungcheol stormed into the shop, Wonwoo hot on his heels.

Seungcheol storming wasn’t anything of a warning sign; he stormed everywhere he went, and where Seungcheol was a constant raging storm, Wonwoo was a calm collected one. He was the breath you held before the impact of a fist to your face.

Hansol put a finger in the spine of his book and closed it, still holding his place as he slipped from the stool and stood to meet the two. They strode up the the counter and Seungcheol leant over to give him a brief kiss.

“Good book?” he asked, giving him a smile that contrasted greatly with his body language.

Hansol shrugged. “Considering. How’s it going out there?”

It was Seungcheol’s turn to shrug, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. “Alright, considering.”

Hansol saw Wonwoo roll his eyes over Seungcheol’s shoulder. “Barely.” He turned and walked back to the door, turning over the sign so that passers by would see the “Sorry, we’re CLOSED” side.

Seungcheol let out a sigh, giving Hansol a sympathetic look. “We’re closing up early today, you can head home if you want.”

Hansol nodded, taking a flower from the vase by the till and using it as a bookmark as he started to pack up some of the displays. Once he had finished that he pulled down the blinds and locked the front door, going to the back room and joining Seungcheol and Wonwoo at the round table. Hansol had never been too involved with what happened in the back room – Seungcheol was adamant that it wasn’t safe – but he did like to quietly sit in on the meetings, just listening to what was going on. Of course, meetings were only ever Seungcheol, Wonwoo and Mingyu and usually only lasted five minutes, but he liked to know what was happening.

They waited a few minutes for Mingyu, who unlocked The Shop’s door and entered the back room still with his university things. His bright orange hair stood out in contrast to both the room itself and the people in it. He slipped his bag from his shoulders and pulled out his laptop, sitting down at the table and pulling up documents. Seungcheol and Wonwoo moved to stand beside him, Wonwoo a little closer and brushing his hand on Mingyu’s shoulder as a quiet greeting.

They went over the numbers, Mingyu trying his best to explain the theories he learned in his Accounting lectures to the other two. Both of them being part of the Arts faculty, they often struggled to grasp a lot of the concepts. Hansol himself had a basic knowledge of how accounting worked, having helped his parents run their own convenience store as he was growing up, but even he struggled to keep up with what Mingyu was saying at times.

Eventually, they got through the numbers and Mingyu shut his laptop. The three of them invited Hansol to stay for dinner and he accepted, following them up stairs into the two-bedroom apartment they rented above The Shop. It was smaller than The Shop and, amazingly, even more cluttered. There were loose papers and dishes and text books littered over every surface, accompanied by the expected mess of wrappers and clothing. Seungcheol pulled a few beer bottles from the fridge in the tiny kitchen and lead the way to the small balcony that looked over a backstreet behind the building.

There was a small bench with a potted plant next to it and a small metal table with matching metal chairs by it. There was really only enough room for these things, but they managed to have squeeze a golf bag in the corner, full of golf clubs that as far as Hansol knew had never been used. Sitting on the cramped balcony with a beer in hand and the shadows long below them, Hansol loved these times the most. They felt normal; just four university students trying to make ends meet through humble means rather than selling weed out of the back room.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a little back story of how Mingyu got involved with the gang back in the early days god bless

The Shop had been Mingyu’s idea.

Seungcheol and Wonwoo had been selling weed out of their pockets for months before they came to Mingyu for advice. At that time, Wonwoo and Mingyu’s relationship was purely casual. As Wonwoo put it, Mingyu was “a good fuck” and nothing more.

Mingyu was aware of the fact that the boy he was sleeping with was a dealer and he was more or less fine with it, so long as he didn’t bring his shit into the bedroom. On one occasion, they lay on Mingyu’s single bed in the university dorms, still sweaty and panting and coming down. As Mingyu pulled his phone off charge on the bedside table, Wonwoo took in a breath.

“Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”

Mingyu’s heart jumped in his chest. He had felt something coming for a couple of weeks; noticing Wonwoo wanting to stay for longer post coitus and stopping to talk to him around campus. Mingyu had yet to make up his mind about how he felt, and the leap of his heart did little to help the confusion in his head.

He swallowed, checking the time and not taking his eyes off the screen as he lay back down. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. You know this thing Seungcheol and I have?”

Mingyu’s heart jumped again, this time in relief. “Yeah.”

Wonwoo scratched his hair, putting a hand behind his head. “Well neither of us are good with numbers and you’re an accounting major, so we thought –”

Mingyu turned his head to Wonwoo. “You want to bring me in?”

Wonwoo’s features were as impossible to read as ever. “Just for the numbers and shit. Make it more sustainable or whatever. You don’t have to.”

Mingyu thought about it for a moment, then shrugged and looked back at his screen. “If it keeps the two of you out of trouble I’ll see what I can do.”

Wonwoo patted his shoulder before sitting up, the blanket falling away from his chest. Mingyu took a moment to appreciate his toned back, catching himself with his lip between his teeth. Wonwoo got off the bed and started to pick his clothes up off the floor, pulling them on as he found them; one sock, his shirt, boxers, pants, another sock, shoes, jacket. He fished his phone out of one pocket while burying his hand in the other.

“I’ll see you,” he said, not looking up from his phone or waiting for a reply as he left the room, shutting the door behind him.

* * *

 

It was another week before Mingyu heard from Wonwoo again. He got a text in the middle of a lecture saying Wonwoo was waiting outside for him with Seungcheol. He thought that maybe they wanted him to leave his lecture early to meet with them, but he couldn’t afford to miss anything so he slipped his phone back in his pocket and resumed his copying of notes.

Once the lecture was over he packed up his things and left the lecture hall, walking over to where Wonwoo and Seungcheol were standing by a water fountain.

“Are we going somewhere else?” Mingyu asked greeting them with a nod.

They looked at each other and Seungcheol turned to Mingyu. “Do we need to?”

Mingyu sighed and rolled his eyes, leading the way down the corridor to the main entrance of the building. “I assume this is about me helping out?” They nodded confirmation. “Yeah, which is probably not something we should talk about in public where anyone can hear.”

As they turned into the street outside, Mingyu gestured to a campus security guard to back up his point. He suggested they go to a restaurant and get lunch, choosing a place with booths for extra anonymity. When they slipped into a booth at the back of the restaurant, Seungcheol cracked a joke about having the mob boss seat.

Wonwoo and Seungcheol watched Mingyu expectantly, waiting for him to say something. He didn’t, however, until after they had been given their food, not wanting to be disturbed as they spoke.

After his first mouthful of Jajangmyeom, Mingyu cleared his throat. “So, brief me on what you’re doing so far.”

Seungcheol looked at Wonwoo. “How much have you told him?”

Wonwoo shrugged, downing most of his drink. “Not much. Just that it’s your weed and I help you sell it.”

Seungcheol nodded, looking back to Mingyu. “That’s pretty much it, actually.”

Mingyu raised his brows. “You mean, you’re what? Selling it out of your pocket to college kids?”

He nodded and shrugged a reply, making Mingyu sigh and set down his chopsticks.

“Okay well before you can even think about getting a …” he trailed off, trying to figure out what it was he was doing. “Accountant, you need to cover your bases. Selling out of your pockets is fine if you’re a small time dealer, you know, just a seller and not a supplier. But you _are_ the supplier, right?”

Seungcheol looked surprised, and to Mingyu’s delight, so did Wonwoo. “I guess? I grow the stuff.”

Mingyu nodded, picking up his chopsticks and working on his Jajangmyeom. “Right, so you’re the supplier. What you’re doing now is a dealer’s job.” He took another mouthful, swallowing before he continued. “As a supplier you need something more secure.”

Seungcheol folded his arms across his chest as Wonwoo started on his own meal. “What’s that mean?”

“A cover story, something you can use as an excuse.”

“What, like money laundering?”

Mingyu made a so-so movement with his hand. “To an extent, just on a smaller scale. You do want to keep it smaller, right?”

Wonwoo and Seungcheol made eye contact, exchanging silent looks. Seungcheol turned back to Mingyu. “I don’t wanna get in over my head.”

Mingyu nodded. “Right, so it’s like money laundering but on a smaller scale.” He thought through his next mouthful. “You could get a shop or something, say sell second hand shit. That way no one cares if you sell the shit in it or not; it’s already stuff that no one wants. Then you just work the deals in a back room.”

Wonwoo swallowed and cleared his throat. “How do you know all this?”

Mingyu felt his face heat up a little. “My cousin runs a cartel back home. I pretty much grew up in the corner of the meeting room.”

Wonwoo let out a long sigh, face still expressionless. “Jesus Christ.”

“You asked for my help.”

“I meant like,” he made a movement with his hand gesturing across the table aimlessly, “figuring out how much of a profit we make. Not all this laundering shit.”

Mingyu shrugged. “If you don’t want that help then I don’t have to give it to you.”

Wonwoo set his jaw as Seungcheol shook his head. “No, Mingyu, this is great. This is stuff we haven’t even thought about.” He directed his next statement firmly towards Wonwoo. “And we’re very thankful that you’re sharing it with us.”

Eyes still boring into Mingyu, Wonwoo nodded. “Yeah.”

Seungcheol turned back to Mingyu, leaning forward and lowering his voice. “So explain this whole shop thing.”

Ignoring Wonwoo’s stare, Mingyu focused on Seungcheol. “You rent out a space for a shop, somewhere near campus so you’re close to where your customers are based. Have people drop off the shit they don’t want any more and say you’re going to put it up for sale.” He waved a hand. “I mean, put it up for sale, people will still pay attention, just not enough to notice you make more money than you sell things in it. If people want to buy what you’re _actually_ selling, you keep a list of them and let them into the back room, which is where you run your shit.”

“Do we need, like, code words?”

Mingyu laughed into his glass. “If you want, but you shouldn’t need to if you’re keeping it small.”

Seungcheol nodded, leaning back in his seat. “This is good stuff.” He nudged Wonwoo with his elbow. “You weren’t kidding when you said he was smart.”

Wonwoo looked up at Mingyu through a mouthful of kimchi, holding eye contact for a moment before chewing and shrugging wordlessly. Mingyu’s heart leapt at the thought of Wonwoo endorsing him to Seungcheol.

“Well kid.” Seungcheol extended his hand to Mingyu across the table. “Welcome to the team.”

Mingyu shook his hand, smiling. “Thanks for having me." 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> backstory for Seungcheol and Hansol !!

Hansol was younger than the others by two years. When he started his Bachelor of Arts, majoring in English, he took to exploring the streets around the campus. He was always careful not to go too far from the university dorms; not wanting to get too lost.

After a month of studies, he stumbled upon a second hand shop on a side street a five-minute walk from campus and stepped inside. One of the first displays he saw was a collection of ugly china decorative figures. One of them was a cow that was hollowed out to hold some sort of liquid, which it spewed out of its mouth.

He was almost chased away before he caught sight of the lines of books on one wall. He walked over to them, running his hands along the battered spines that had been worn down, some to the point that their titles were completely gone.

He was startled by the sound of someone thudding down the stair case at the back of the shop, spinning on the spot to see a man a little older than him emerge. He paused in the doorway when he saw Hansol.

“Hi, how are you?” he didn’t have the typical retail voice that Hansol was used to, but he looked past it.

“Good thanks, and you?”

The man smiled as he walked behind the till and sat down, spinning on the chair to face Hansol. “Good. Need any help?”

He was sitting with his legs slightly spread, hands held together between his knees and forearms resting on his thighs. Hansol felt his breath hitch as his eyes lingered on the man’s thighs before he caught himself, hurriedly returning his gaze to the man’s face.

“No thanks, just looking.”

“Cool, let me know if you change your mind.”

After browsing for a while, Hansol bought a copy of Richard Adam’s _Watership Down_. His heartbeat sped up when his hand brushed the man’s for a moment as he passed him the plastic bag and they exchanged a smile before Hansol headed back to the dorms.

He read the book as quickly as he could manage, wanting to finish it and have an excuse to go back to the shop and see the man again. It took him three days and a box of tissues to get through it, finally finishing it early in the morning. In his rush to see the man in the shop again, his eyes were still slightly red as he navigated the side streets to get to him.

The man was sitting behind the till, but this time he wasn’t alone. He was talking to another man, taller than him, with the face of someone who could knock you out in one hit. They were leaning into the conversation, which was carried out in a hushed tone, but froze when they heard the door open. The taller man stepped away from the till and passed Hansol to leave the shop. In the doorway, he paused to look over his shoulder.

“Get your shit together, Seungcheol.”

He slammed the door when he left.

An uncomfortable silence settled in the shop, making Hansol shift on his feet. He thought that maybe he should leave, but decided it would make the awkward situation worse, so he wandered over to the bookshelf while the man – Seungcheol – visibly deflated.

He scanned the spines that were still readable and pulled out a copy of _The Picture of Dorian Gray_ , flipping through the pages.

“Sorry about that.” Hansol turned to see Seungcheol gesturing to the door.

“It’s fine,” he replied, giving Seungcheol a smile that he reciprocated.

Seungcheol looked down at Hansol’s hands. “Other book not good?”

Hansol laughed. “It was very good, I actually just finished it.”

Seungcheol let out a long whistle, his eyebrows raised. “That was fast.”

Hansol shrugged, flipping to the synopsis of the book in his hands. “I guess.”

Seungcheol stood from the stool and moved next to Hansol, peering down at the book. As he scanned the synopsis, Hansol found himself taking in his features. He was a lot closer than Hansol would’ve been comfortable standing next to someone, but he wasn’t complaining. Seungcheol’s jawline somehow managed to be soft and angular at the same time, his eyebrows furrowed a little as his eyes skimmed across the page.

Seungcheol pointed at the page. “Isn’t this the gay one?”

Hansol felt his face heat up, his heartbeat speeding. “It’s not all about being gay, but it’s definitely a present theme.”

Hansol could hear his pulse in his ears as he waited for Seungcheol’s response, but he simply nodded, patting Hansol’s shoulder before returning to the stool behind the till. “Maybe I’ll try giving it a read sometime.”

Hansol blinked twice before shutting the book and striding over to put it on the counter. He watched Seungcheol put his money in the cash machine and fish out the change, savouring the moments their hands touched as he placed the coins in Hansol’s upturned palm.

“Let me know if it’s any good,” he said, giving Hansol a wide smile.

“Will do.” Hansol returned the smile over his shoulder as he left the shop, all but running to the dorms to start the book.

_The Picture of Dorian Gray_ took only a day and a half for Hansol to power through. He chose to write an essay on it for one of his papers – discuss the significance of homoerotic undertones in a text of choice – completing a rough draft before going back to the shop.

During this visit, he bought a disintegrating copy of _1984_ and stayed for a while at the counter to tell Seungcheol about _The Picture of Dorian Gray_.

“Overall, the whole gay thing didn’t seem to come through as much as I was expecting it to,” he said, leaning an elbow on the counter as Seungcheol did the same, leaning forward and resting his chin on his hand. “Which I suppose comes down to the fact that it was heavily censored when it was first published, plus it’s been over a hundred years and queer representation has come a long way since then.”

Seungcheol raised his eyebrows. “ ‘ _Queer_ ’? Is that really the right word?”

Hansol tried to read his expression, debating what his response should be. After a moment, he nodded. “I think so. It _is_ one of my words.”

At this, Seungcheol’s mouth stretched into a broad smile. “Just checking, don’t look so scared.”

Hansol felt himself blushing, touching a hand to his cheek before he could stop himself. He quickly lowered it as he shrugged. “You never know.”

Seungcheol chuckled lowly, sounding like gravel. “I’ll see you at the end of this one,” he said, nodding to the book in Hansol’s hand.

Hansol nodded and turned to leave. When his hand touched the door, Seungcheol piped up again.

“Before I forget, what’s your name?”

Hansol looked over his shoulder. “Hansol.”

Seungcheol nodded, a corner of his mouth tugging up. “I’m Seungcheol.”

Before he could think, Hansol smirked. “I know.”

 

* * *

 

He went through _Animal Farm_ (he enjoyed George Orwell’s voice), Charles Dickens’ _A Christmas Carol_ (he’d only ever seen the Disney adaptation), and Jeanette Winterson’s _Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit_ (he wanted more queer literature under his belt) before he finally found the strength to ask Seungcheol about staffing in the shop.

He passed the copy of _The Secret Garden_ to Seungcheol over the counter. “Are you the only one who works here?”

Seungcheol laughed – something Hansol had come to anticipate with each visit – as he struggled to get a coin from the till. “There’s Wonwoo, but he’s on stock take. You met him actually.” Hansol furrowed his brows as he took the change. “ _Picture of Dorian_ , he told me to get my shit together.”

Hansol made a sound of understanding, remembering the hard set of Wonwoo’s jaw. “So you’re the only one who actually works in here?”

“Yep, just me.” He leant back, forearms resting on his thighs. Hansol caught himself before he stared for too long.

“Do you need any more staff? I’ve been looking for a job for a while now, and I figured since I come here so often.”

Seungcheol looked as though he was searching himself for an answer before he let out a sigh. “Not at the moment, sorry.”

Despite feeling disappointed, Hansol smiled. “That’s okay, just thought I’d check.” He held up his book. “I’ll see you when I’m finished.”

Before he could turn to leave, Seungcheol stopped him. “You could see me sooner than that.”

“Sorry?”

Seungcheol smiled, reaching to take the book from Hansol and flipping to the title page. He took a pen from the counter and wrote down a string of numbers, then closing the book and handing it back to Hansol.

“If you’re free sometime, we could get lunch or something.” He wiped the back of his neck with his palm.

Hansol couldn’t stop himself from smiling. “I’ll see what I have on and let you know.”

They exchanged smiles and Hansol left, his cheeks going numb as he walked back to the dorms.

 

* * *

 

 

They met up for lunch the following day, just going to the café on campus. They talked about university – Seungcheol was a Music major – and the shop, which he owned with Wonwoo and his “maybe boyfriend”. Hansol caught Seungcheol watching his mouth more than once, making his palms sweat a little.

The second time they saw each other outside of the shop was by accident, as Hansol ran into him outside his lecture hall with Wonwoo and Wonwoo’s “maybe boyfriend” Mingyu. The other two went back to Mingyu’s dorm as Seungcheol offered to buy Hansol coffee. They went back to the shop as they drank, sitting cross legged by the book shelves while Hansol showed Seungcheol some of his favourite titles.

The fifth time, Hansol had been buying another book when Seungcheol invited him upstairs for lunch.

“I’m going on my break about now, but if you have something on that’s cool.”

“No, I’d love that.” He felt his stomach flip at the thought of being in Seungcheol’s flat.

Seungcheol smiled. “Two minutes.”

He heaved himself up from the stool and wrote a note on a scrap of paper which he then set next to the call bell. He locked the till and slipped the key in his pocket, then leading Hansol up the stair case from which he had first emerged.

They ate ramen on Seungcheol’s loft bed, talking through mouthfuls about their assignments and about Mingyu’s new hair. When they had finished, Seungcheol stacked their bowls and set them on top of the shelf at the foot of his bed, reaching over Hansol to do so.

When he leant back, rather than resuming his previous position against the wall at the head of the bed, he placed a hand softly on Hansol’s jaw and pressed his lips to his. It took Hansol by surprise, but not enough to stop him from tangling his hands in Seungcheol’s hair.

Having not kissed anyone in a while, it took Hansol a moment to find and then match Seungcheol’s rhythm; their teeth knocking together a couple of times. Hansol pulled back a little, catching his breath.

“Sorry, I think I’m out of practice.”

Seungcheol just smiled, moving a bit of Hansol’s fringe form his eyes. “So am I.”

And then Hansol was closing the distance again. And then Seungcheol was sliding his hands up and down Hansol’s sides under his shirt and then Hansol was tugging off Seungcheol’s shirt and running his hands over his broad chest and then Seungcheol was ridding Hansol of his own shirt and then Seungcheol was pushing his back down on the mattress and then their hands were everywhere on each other. Hansol parted his legs and bent his knees up so that Seungcheol could hover over him more comfortably. His hands danced lightly across Seungcheol’s back, feeling the muscles under the skin as the kiss got more and more heated.

He realised suddenly, with one hand in Seungcheol’s hair and the other flat against his shoulder blade, that their crotches were dangerously close to each other. Almost before the thought had finished forming, Seungcheol lowered his hips onto Hansol’s and let out a low groan. Hansol used the hand in Seungcheol’s hair to pull his mouth off his, causing him to lift his hips at the same time.

They looked at each other, slightly in shock and panting. They both said “I’m sorry” at the same time then laughed, Seungcheol pressing his forehead to Hansol’s before rolling off him and lying on his back. Hansol shifted to lie on his side, facing Seungcheol who stretched an arm out to pull Hansol into his chest.

With his ear pressed to Seungcheol’s bare chest, Hansol could hear his heart beating hard and matching the pace of his own. He bit his lip.

“Sorry, it’s just,” he took in a shaky breath. “I’ve never really done anything.”

Seungcheol kissed his hair. “It’s okay, no pressure.”

They lay there for a while, Hansol listening to Seungcheol’s heart rate slowly even out as Seungcheol started to draw circles on his shoulder. When Seungcheol let out a sigh, Hansol’s head lowered with his chest.

“I really like you.”

Hansol was glad Seungcheol couldn’t see his face as it heated up. “I really like you, too.”

Seungcheol squeezed his shoulder. “Good, but,” he paused, giving Hansol room to panic before he continued. “There’s something I have to tell you before this gets too serious.”

Hansol lifted his head, leaning an arm over Seungcheol’s chest and resting his chin on his wrist. “What is it?”

Seungcheol looked down at him, eyes worried as he stroked up and down Hansol’s back. “It’s not just a second hand shop.”

Hansol’s eyebrows pushed together in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t,” Seungcheol looked up at the ceiling, clearly struggling to find his words. “We – Wonwoo and I – we kinda.” He sighed heavily and shut his eyes. “We sell weed out of the back room.”

Whatever Hansol had been worried he would say, this wasn’t what he was expecting at all. It was the obscurity more than anything that had him speechless, as he stared at Seunghceol’s chin and tried to process the information.

Seungcheol looked back down to Hansol, still looking worried. “Please say something.”

Hansol shook his head as best he could with it still resting on his wrist. “I don’t know what to say.”

“I just wanted you to know, so you could have a chance to back out if you wanted to.”

This annoyed Hansol, and he sat up a little. He brought his face level to Seungcheol’s and placed a hand on his chest. “I’m not going to get up and leave just because you sell weed.”

“Then why don’t you know what to say?” his voice was a whisper.

“Because shit, Seungcheol, I wasn’t expecting it. Wait, is this why you didn’t give me a job?”

Seungcheol nodded. “I didn’t want to you to get involved.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s dangerous and I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“Listen.” he moved the hand on Seungcheol’s chest to his forehead, combing his hair back from his face a little. “I don’t care how you make your money, so long as you give me a job and kiss me as well as you just did, I’ll be fine.”

Seungcheol laughed, lifting his head to give Hansol a brief kiss. “That’s a relief, but I still don’t feel entirely comfortable with you working here.”

Hansol kissed him, his lips staying on on Seungcheol’s a little longer. “I can take care of myself, Cheol.”

He bit his lip. “I’ll think about it.”

Hansol smiled. “That’s good enough for me. Now, I do believe there was a second part to that.”

A smile spread across Seungcheol’s face before he pulled Hansol down to kiss him again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some development for Mingyu and Wonwoo's relationship, plus the start of an actual plot line !! incredible !!!

Whereas Seungcheol and Wonwoo had been hesitant to include Hansol, Mingyu was over the moon when they had finally caved and hired him. It would be good to have someone to look after The Shop instead of Seungcheol doing it all the time, and would give him room to take care of other things. Plus, Mingyu was happy that Seungcheol had someone in his life who was more than a friend.

As the next year progressed, Mingyu and Wonwoo’s relationship became more official, leading to Mingyu moving into the apartment above The Shop. It was cluttered and busy, but he settled in quickly and the three boys formed a routine around each other. Mingyu got used to waking up to an empty bed and Seungcheol singing as he made himself breakfast, got used to Seungcheol’s constant worrying. They often joked that he was the mum of their group, always asking if the others were warm enough or if they had gotten enough sleep and such.

Most things were fine with Mingyu, but finding the bed empty when he woke got to him. It wasn’t the fact that he felt bad or unwanted – it was the worrying he did himself.  

When they had become official and moved in together, Mingyu had somewhat expected Wonwoo to stop being so distant. To share things with him and to at least _talk_ to him. He soon found that Wonwoo was naturally very reserved and troubled in equal measures.

A bad day at work or uni turned into sex. A phone call from his mother turned into sex. A fight with Seungcheol turned into sex. And although Mingyu wasn’t complaining, he did wish that Wonwoo would open up to him a little more. He especially wished this when he woke up to an empty fucking bed.

On one occasion, when Hansol had stayed the night in Seungcheol’s room, Mingyu woke up just as Wonwoo pulled a shirt on over his head and slipped silently out of their room. Mingyu turned onto his back and stared up at the ceiling, listening to Wonwoo’s movements in the apartment. Listened to him cross the hall to the bathroom, listened to him open and shut the bathroom door, listened to him pee, listened to him flush the toilet, listened to him wash his hands, listened to him open and shut the bathroom door.

Mingyu screwed his eyes shut and crossed his fingers on his right hand against his chest. _Please come back to bed_ , he mouthed soundlessly to the space above him.

Wonwoo didn’t return to their bed. Instead, Mingyu listened as Wonwoo made his way into the kitchen, struggling with the door before he shoved it open and stepped out onto the balcony. Mingyu uncrossed his fingers, opening his eyes and letting out a deep sigh.

He debated with himself whether or not he should go to join Wonwoo on the balcony for quite some time, all the while worrying his lip between his teeth. Coming to a conclusion and with another sigh, he threw the covers back and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He rubbed his hands over his hair and looked around for a shirt. His hands found a shirt that didn’t smell too bad and he pulled it on, realising it must have been one of Wonwoo’s as it didn’t quite reach to the waist line of his boxers.

When he stepped out into the hallway, he noticed that Seungcheol’s door was slightly ajar. Through it, he could just see Hansol’s face as it was cradled by Seungcheol’s arm. Mingyu smiled fondly at them before padding lightly into the kitchen and to the door that led to the balcony.

Wonwoo was slouched in one of the metal deck chairs, bare legs softly reflecting the streetlights. He was looking out over the railing, meaning he jumped when Mingyu started budging the door open. When he saw who it was, he sat up a little and looked back out to the buildings opposite them. Mingyu took a seat next to him, hissing at the cold metal against his skin, still warm from the bed.

“Tried not to wake you.” Wonwoo’s voice was smooth and deep as ever; giving no indication to how he was feeling.

Mingyu started to feel like he sighed too much. “Don’t think I was really all that asleep.”

Wonwoo merely hummed in response, still not looking at Mingyu.

In a sudden surge of frustration, Mingyu snapped at him. “For god’s sake Wonwoo, look at me!”

Although his voice rang in the quiet night, Wonwoo seemed unfazed, turning his head to meet Mingyu’s eyes. His face was expressionless, only fuelling Mingyu’s anger.

“Why do you always leave the bed?”

Wonwoo shrugged nonchalantly. “You know I don’t sleep well.”

Mingyu scoffed. “Apparently you don’t sleep at all, otherwise you might actually be there when I wake up.”

Wonwoo surprised him by chuckling. “Why does it matter?”

“Because you’re my fucking boyfriend,” Mingyu barked at him. “It’s what boyfriends do, Wonwoo. Do you see Hansol sneaking out of Seungcheol’s bed every time he stays over?”

Wonwoo raised his eyebrows. “Boyfriends?” he repeated, the word unfurling slowly from his mouth.

Mingyu sighed again. “What the fuck else would we be? It’s been two years, we fucking live together.”

“Boyfriends,” he said again, brows furrowed. He seemed to be looking past Mingyu as this settled in, making Mingyu uncomfortable.

“Did you not think we were?” Mingyu suddenly felt like he didn’t have enough clothes on.

Wonwoo came out of his stupor with a sharp intake of breath, meeting Mingyu’s eyes again. “I don’t know, didn’t really think about it that much.”

Mingyu shook his head, shoulders slumping. “You met my parents. I said to them; ‘this is my _boyfriend_ , Wonwoo’. You shook their hands.”

Mingyu cursed the low lighting as Wonwoo rubbed his cheek with his palm, possibly to will away or hide a blush. “I didn’t – I don’t know what I did.”

Mingyu scooted his chair closer to Wonwoo’s, careful not to scrape it along the floor. He leant forward and took Wonwoo’s hands in his. “I hate to break it to you, but we’ve been together for a year and a half. As in, boyfriends together. You know, dating and shit.”

Wonwoo laughed lightly and pressed his forehead to Mingyu’s. “I guess we are.”

They both laughed, Mingyu pressing his lips to Wonwoo’s briefly. “How did you not get that?”

Wonwoo shook his head against Mingyu’s forehead. “I’m fucking dumb.”

They laughed again, breaths tickling one another’s lips.

“Does this mean I have to stay in bed for you to wake up next to?” Wonwoo was playing with Mingyu’s fingers nervously.

“That’d be nice, thanks.” He thought for a moment. “Not every morning, but if you could make an effort I’d appreciate it.”

Wonwoo looked down at their hands, biting his lip. “I’ll try.”

Mingyu smiled into another kiss. “Thank you.”

 

 When Mingyu woke the next morning, he was lying on his back with Wonwoo’s head resting on his chest. Wonwoo’s phone was going off, stirring him from his sleep. He lifted his head from Mingyu’s chest and looked up at him, bleary eyed.

“Morning,” his voice was scratchy, making a large contrast to his usual smooth tone.

“Nice that you could join me for it. Your phone’s ringing.”

Wonwoo blinked slowly at him before reaching to the bedside table for his phone. He held up the screen for Mingyu.

“Who is it?”

Mingyu placed a hand over Wonwoo’s to steady the phone. “Your mother.”

Wonwoo groaned, propping himself up on his elbows as he answered the phone and pressed it to his ear. “Eomeoni.”

He fumbled around on the bedside table for his glasses, which Mingyu picked up and put in his hands. Wonwoo mouthed his thanks at him as he put the glasses on and hummed a response to his mother. Suddenly, his eyes went wide.

“When?”

Mingyu furrowed his eyebrows as an indistinct voice came from the speaker. Wonwoo held up a finger, signalling Mingyu to wait.

“With me?” more chatter. “We don’t have enough room.” A seemingly angry response. “Yeah, we can make some. I’m not giving you attitude,” Wonwoo stopped as Mingyu gave him a look; he was giving attitude. “Sorry Eomeoni. Yes, I’ll have a bed ready for you. Do you need the address? Okay, I’ll see you then.”

He hung up the phone and removed his glasses, setting both on the bedside table before he shuffled up the bed and attached his lips to Mingyu’s. Mingyu allowed him a moment before he gently pushed Wonwoo back by his shoulders.

“Your mother’s coming to stay?”

“She’s getting here tomorrow,” Wonwoo said before lowering himself again to kiss Mingyu, whose protest was muffled by Wonwoo’s mouth.

“Where’s she going to sleep?”

Wonwoo sighed. “We can figure it out later. Right now,” he paused drag his thumb over Mingyu’s bottom lip. “I really need to fuck my boyfriend.”

Mingyu knew he shouldn’t let Wonwoo avoid his mother like that, knew he needed Wonwoo to talk it through. But then again, he was right; they _could_ figure it out later. So he kissed Wonwoo back, hands travelling down his body to pull his shirt over his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who left kind messages and sorry for the wait! I'm currently in England for my grandmother's funeral, which is happening on the 15th with a private cremation on the 13th. I haven't been able to to write until today, and I hope you all like it because it took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do with this chapter lmao. Anyway, not sure when the next update will be, but hopefully it'll be sooner rather than later! Again, thank you for your support and for your patience.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Direct continuation from the last chapter, Hansol and Seungcheol have a moment god bless :')

Hansol was woken by Seungcheol slowly dragging his arm out from under his neck. He groaned and turned over to face Seungcheol, who made a pained expression.

“I didn’t want you to wake up,” he said, withdrawing the rest of his arm as Hansol laughed lightly.

“It’s okay, I don’t mind.”

Seungcheol smiled warmly down at him and was about to say something when a loud moan sounded down the hall from Wonwoo and Mingyu’s bedroom. Hansol’s eyes went wide as Seungcheol put a hand over his mouth to stifle his laughter. Hansol winced as they heard another moan, louder than its predecessor.

Seungcheol crawled over Hansol and jumped down from the bed with a thud and ran down to pound on their door.

“Shut the fuck up, we were having a moment and you ruined it!”

“Sorry, we’ll try to keep quiet –” Mingyu’s strained voice deteriorated into another moan and Seungcheol bounded back to his own room, tipping his head back as he cackled. He slammed his door and clambered back up onto his bed, collapsing beside Hansol as he still laughed.

Hansol found himself laughing as well, the noises slightly fainter but still audible. Then suddenly, Seungcheol had rolled on top of him, framing Hansol’s face with his hands.

Hansol’s breath hitched a little as the sounds from down the hall, plus Seungcheol’s weight above him, suddenly made him acutely aware of his body. His hands instinctively settled on Seungcheol’s hips as Seungcheol gently pressed his lips to Hansol’s, starting off slowly. Hansol had noticed that this was how all their kisses started out; slowly and gently, like Seungcheol was still asking for permission.

Ignoring his initial concerns about morning breath, he kissed Seungcheol back. The kiss quickly grew more heated and soon enough, the two of them were down to their boxers and Seungcheol’s mouth was kissing a line down Hansol’s body. When he reached Hansol’s chest, his breath ghosting over his skin made Hansol inhale sharply. Seungcheol froze before lifting himself from Hansol and lying down next to him on his back.

“Sorry, I got carried away.” He scrunched his eyes shut and cursed lightly under his breath. “I’m so sorry, babe.”

Hansol stared up at the ceiling and tried to calm his breathing. “No, it’s fine.” He swallowed hard and cut Seungcheol off as he tried to apologise again. “You don’t have to stop.”

Seungcheol turned his head to look at Hansol, who met his eyes hesitantly.

“You mean?” Seungcheol was whispering.

Through the two closed doors and down the hallway, Wonwoo’s comment on how tight Mingyu was became muffled, however not enough to make it inaudible. There was a slight pause before Hansol and Seungcheol collapsed into a fit of giggles, Seungcheol pressing his forehead to Hansol’s shoulder.

“Maybe not that,” Hansol said through his laughter. “But something a step back from it maybe.”

Seungcheol’s laughter trailed off and he kissed Hansol’s shoulder. “There’s no pressure, we don’t have to do anything.”

Hansol willed away the blush that was creeping up his neck. “I want to do something,” he whispered to avoid his voice breaking.

Seungcheol pulled away from his shoulder. “What do you mean?”

Losing his patience, Hansol groaned. “I _mean_ do something before I get blue balls.”

Seungcheol chuckled, lips tracing along Hansol’s jaw before he pressed a kiss to it. “You do know that blue balls isn’t actually a thing, right?”

Hansol bit his lip and attempted to stifle a whine as Seungcheol’s hand lightly traced the waistband of his boxers. He was too scared to actually reply; worried his voice would come out uneven.

Seungcheol took the hint and slowly, carefully moved to hover above him again. He kissed Hansol’s forehead, then his nose, then his lips before moving to the corner of his jaw. He mouthed lightly along his jawline before moving down his neck, over his Adam’s apple, along his collar bone, pausing to suck on the highest point of it. By the time Seungcheol was nibbling on the skin of his hip, Hansol was panting and writhing beneath him, struggling to keep himself from making any noise.

Seungcheol hooked a finger under the waistband of Hansol’s boxers, detaching his mouth from his hip and looking up to meet his eyes.

“Are you sure about this? You can back out at any time, I won’t mind.”

Hansol tried to calm his breathing so he could reply. “I’m sure. Nervous, but sure.”

Seungcheol gave him a warm smile, reaching to take Hansol’s hand in his. “Any time you want me to stop I will.”

Hansol nodded and kept biting his lip as Seungcheol finally pulled down his boxers.

 

* * *

 

 

After a brief debate, Seungcheol showered first. When he returned, his face was flushed and he was panting lightly. Hansol decided not to comment.

His own shower was quick and thorough, in and out within five minutes. As he stood in front of the mirror to dry himself off, he noticed a few dark spots littered around his torso. There was one on the high point of his collar bone, one on his hip and one at the end of where his happy trail should have been. He gingerly trailed his fingers over them before he resumed drying himself with the towel. He wrapped it around his waist and made his way back to Seungcheol’s room, finding it empty.

After rummaging around in his overnight bag for a shirt, he was relieved when the neckline covered the hickey on his collar bone. Once he was fully clothed he went into the kitchen and sat at one of the bench stools, watching Seungcheol at the stove. He was shirtless, wearing track pants and with his hair still dripping onto his shoulders.

“Your hair is still wet,” Hansol said, making Seungcheol jump.

“Shit, I didn’t hear you come in.” He turned a little and showed Hansol the strips of bacon in the pan. “Hungry?”

“Just an egg, thanks.” Seungcheol nodded and turned back to the stove. “Cheol?”

“Mm?”  
“Your hair’s still wet.”

He lifted a hand to touch his fingers to his hair. “It’ll dry on its own.”

Hansol felt a little awkward and shifted in his seat. “Okay.”

Seungcheol started humming as he broke two eggs into another pan. Hansol thought for a moment before slipping from the stool and getting a towel from Seungcheol’s room, going back to the kitchen and standing behind Seungcheol. He put the towel over his hands and slowly pressed it to Seungcheol’s hair, making him jump again.

“Shit, Hansol quit – wait, what are you doing?”

Hansol started to ruffle Seungcheol’s hair with the towel. “Drying your hair.”

Seungcheol stilled his movements as Hansol collected the moisture from his hair with the towel, then moving it down to his shoulders and dabbing it on the droplets that had collected there. Hansol felt a blush spreading out over his chest so he wiped up the last of the water and removed the towel, pressing a kiss to Seungcheol’s shoulder before sitting back down at one of the stools.

He listened to Seungcheol singing as he made their breakfast, finally setting down two plates and joining Hansol on another stool. Halfway through the meal, Seungcheol cleared his throat.

“So, how are you feeling?”

Hansol swallowed a mouthful of bread and egg white. “You mean in general or –”

“I mean after I blew you.”

Hansol wrinkled his nose. “When you put it like that it sounds crude.”

“Sorry. I mean after I put your penis in my mouth.” Hansol shoved him and Seungcheol laughed. “No but really, how are you feeling?”

Hansol shrugged, cutting up his next mouthful. “Physically I feel great. Emotionally –”

Seungcheol dropped his cutlery and put his head in his hands. “Shit.”

“Let me finish. _Emotionally_ , I feel a little different. But not bad different, like a good different.”

Seungcheol turned his head to the side, still supporting it with his hands. “So you don’t regret it?”

Hansol laughed. “No, no of course I don’t.” He took one of Seungcheol’s hands in his and pulled it away from his face. “You don’t have to worry about me this much. I know what I’m doing and what I am and am not ready for.” He lifted Seungcheol’s hand and pressed his lips to his knuckles. “And I trust you.”

Seungcheol smiled, leaning over to kiss Hansol. “Good.” He pressed his forehead to Hansol’s. “I’m glad you trust me and I’m sorry I worry so much.”

“That’s okay, it shows you care. Just, try to bare in mind that I _can_ look after myself.” He kissed Seungcheol briefly, then dropping his voice to a whisper. “And I could never regret you.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Preparations for Wonwoo's mother. Content warning for mentions of conversion therapy, but nothing too heavy bc I don't know enough about it yet lmao

Mingyu followed behind Wonwoo into the kitchen, where they were met by Seungcheol and Hansol sitting at the bench. They had their foreheads pressed together and were whispering to each other. Mingyu thought Seungcheol might be crying.

“My mother’s coming to stay,” Wonwoo announced, walking to the fridge and getting the milk out.

Seungcheol and Hansol jumped apart, Seungcheol clearing his throat.

“Where’s she going to sleep?” Seungcheol seemed to know better than to ask how Wonwoo was doing.

Wonwoo got the rest of the ingredients for coffee, setting down one mug before he thought and got another one out of the cupboard.

“Cool if she goes into your room? She still thinks I’m straight.”

“Yeah that’s fine, I’ll wash the sheets and shit.”

Mingyu and Wonwoo did a double take, looking from Seungcheol to Hansol. Seungcheol almost choked on his food.

“No, what the fuck? I haven’t washed them for like a month.” It was hard to ignore the redness of Hansol’s neck in collaboration with his guilty expression. “Just because you two go at it like rabbits doesn’t mean the rest of us do.”

Wonwoo poured hot water into the two mugs, spooning in some instant coffee and stirring. “It’s been a year hasn’t it? Me and Mingyu started fucking before we were dating.”

Mingyu sat next to Hansol. “Ignore him; he only found out we were dating last night.”

Seungcheol laughed. “Good one Wonwoo. Wait, didn’t he meet your parents?”

Wonwoo set down a mug of coffee in front of Mingyu, squeezing his shoulder before walking around to sit next to Seungcheol at the opposite end of the bench. “Yeah.”

There were no further questions as they ate and drank in silence. Hansol cleaned his and Seungcheol’s dishes and brushed his teeth before heading off to his lecture. When Seungcheol came back upstairs from seeing him out, Mingyu was waiting outside his room for him.

“Something happened last night.”

Seungcheol looked down, trying to stop the smile that was creeping up on him. “More like this morning.”

“Before or after you told us to shut up?”

“After. And it was nothing too serious.” Mingyu followed him into his room and watched him strip his bed. “Is she going to be able to get up there?”

The two of them looked up at the loft bed. The mattress was well above Seungcheol’s head, but was at eye level for Mingyu. After a while of regarding the bed silently, Wonwoo joined them.

“Why are you staring at the bed?”

Seungcheol responded, still looking up at his bed. “Just wondering if she’ll be able to get up there.”

“She’ll have to. I’m not going to have her asking why both of us are moving out of our room with only a double bed.”

Seungcheol nodded before pulling the duvet off the bed and pulling it out of its cover. Wonwoo left the room again and Mingyu reached up to take down the pillows and slip them from their cases. The two of them worked quietly as they bundled up the sheets on the floor.

“Have you met Mikyung?” Seungcheol asked, dropping his voice so that Wonwoo wouldn’t hear him.

Mingyu shook his head. “All I know is she’s not a good person.”

Once the bed was stripped completely, Seungcheol quietly closed the door and collapsed onto the small couch under his bed. He patted the space next to him and Mingyu sat down.

“How much has he told you about her?”

Mingyu thought. “She doesn’t know he’s gay. They don’t get along.” He furrowed his brows, realising this was all he knew of her. “That’s it.”

Seungcheol nodded. “Wonwoo’s hopeless so I’m going to have to tell you.” He shifted a little. “He came out to her when we were sixteen.”

Mingyu frowned again, having thought that Seungcheol and Wonwoo met at university. “How long have you known him for?”

“We,” Seungcheol stopped, frowning himself. “Hasn’t he told you? We went to school together. We met when we were like seven.” He shook his head. “Anyway, he came out to her and she reacted badly and sent him to a conversion camp in America.”

Mingyu’s stomach churned. “What?”

“I won’t go into detail; that’s his story to tell. But when he came back he was different. I mean, he’s always been shit at communicating and reading people’s body language, conversion therapy didn’t make him autistic.”

“He’s autistic?”

Seungcheol sighed, patting Mingyu’s knee before getting up from the couch. Mingyu stared out of the door down the hallway, his head spinning and his heart in his throat. After a minute, Seungcheol returned, shutting the door behind him and passing Mingyu a glass of what looked like water before he sat down again. Mingyu tipped back the glass and almost spat it out again.

“You could’ve warned me this wasn’t water, shit.”

Seungcheol laughed, patting Mingyu’s back as his throat burned. “Sorry man. I’ll give you a minute.”

After mingyu was able to collect himself, he took a sip of the gin and tonic and leant back on the couch. He tried to calm his breathing and stop his stomach from upheaving itself. He took another sip. “So he has autism.”

Seungcheol shook his head. “He’s _autistic_. Autism isn’t a disease; you can’t catch it. But yeah, I’m surprised he didn’t tell you.”  

“This morning was the first time I woke up and he was still in the bed.”

Seungcheol looked at him sympathetically. “I mean really it should be him telling you all this, but I don’t think he will before she gets here and you need to know.”

Mingyu nodded. “Okay.”

“So after he got back from America he had changed a lot, and he’s gotten better over time and even better after moving out, but whenever she comes back he gets bad again. Just quietly support him and don’t try to fight her because she _will_ win. Let him have his space – because he’ll start going for walks again probably. And remember that she thinks the conversion therapy worked, so he’ll probably talk about girls a lot.” He paused for a moment. “Remind me to text Hyejin.”

“Who’s Hyejin?” Mingyu vaguely recognised the name, but couldn’t put a face to it.

“His beard.”

“What?” Mingyu felt like he needed to lie down in a dark room for a day and a half.

“Really nice girl, she’s in a few of our classes and needed one herself, so they help each other out. Are you okay? You look a bit pale.”

Seungcheol placed his hand on Mingyu’s forehead, which had gotten a little sweaty.

“This is a lot to take in, Seungcheol. This is,” he let out a sigh, “a lot.”

Seungcheol moved his hand from Mingyu’s forehead back into his hair, lightly scratching his scalp. Mingyu lent back into the touch and closed his eyes, letting out a long sigh.

Mingyu heard Seungcheol finish his drink and put his glass on the ground, taking Mingyu’s from his hand and putting it down as well. He removed his hand from Mingyu’s hair and shifted his position, then pulling Mingyu back to lean his torso against him. Mingyu began to think that Seungcheol’s status as the mum of the group was more fitting than he originally thought as he cradled Mingyu against his chest and rocked him a little. He pressed his cheek to the top of Mingyu’s head and started humming quietly. Mingyu thought he recognised the tune as a nursery rhyme, something his mother might have sung to him as a child.

It was surprisingly soothing, and after a few minutes Mingyu started humming along with Seungcheol, who laughed a little and kissed Mingyu’s hair.

“You good?”

“I think so. Thank you for telling me all this, by the way.”

“That’s okay, I’d hate for you to have to meet her with no warning of what it’s going to be like.”

Suddenly, the door opened and Wonwoo came through it with a laundry basket full of clean sheets. He looked down at Mingyu, who was practically in Seungcheol’s lap. His face made no change as he left the laundry basket in the doorway and walked over to the couch. He lifted Mingyu’s legs and sat down, then lowering his legs again.

“Did Seungcheol tell you about her?”

Mingyu nodded and Wonwoo returned the gesture. He started to rub up and down Mingyu’s shin.

“Did he tell you about America?” another nod and Wonwoo turned his head to look at the basket. “And the autism?”

“Yeah.” Mingyu was surprised by how tired he sounded, even to himself.

“Sorry I didn’t tell you before.”

Seungcheol started playing with Mingyu’s hair again. “It’s easier for him if I do it.”

Mingyu nodded, Seungcheol’s fingers against his scalp calming him down considerably. “That’s okay.”

They sat there for a moment before Wonwoo spoke again.

“I already talked to Hyejin.”

Seungcheol perked up a bit. “Is she coming over tomorrow?” Wonwoo nodded. “Great, I haven’t seen her in a while.” He squeezed Mingyu a little. “You’ll love her, she’s wonderful.”

Wonwoo stood up from the couch and got the clean sheets out of the basket. He placed them on the mattress above Mingyu, then picked up the bundle of old sheets from the floor and put them in the basket.

“Any other laundry?”

Mingyu shook his head. “I did it yesterday.”

Wonwoo shut the door behind him when he left.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit of platonic Hansol/Mingyu action which honestly ???? I really enjoyed writing them together they've very cute bless. Warning for mentions of homophobia

Mikyung was a lot shorter than her son, but even more intimidating. Hansol had just gotten back from his lunch break and was opening up the till when the door opened.

She walked briskly to the till and Hansol stood to greet her, extending his hand. “You must be Mikyung, I’m Hansol. Nice to meet you.”

Her grip was firm as she shook his hand. “Where is my son?”

“Upstairs.”

As Hansol turned to point to the stair case, Seungcheol ran down it, almost tripping over the last two steps. He held out his arms to Mikyung.

“Ajumma!” he pulled her into a hug and she laughed.

Pulling back from him, she held his arms and looked him up and down. “Seungcheol, you’re growing up nicely! How are your parents?”

“They’re good. They’ve been asking about you as well.”

“I must get in touch with them, I’ve been meaning to for a while now.”

Seungcheol caught sight of Hansol watching them from the till. He put a hand on Mikyung’s shoulder and gestured towards Hansol.

“This is Hansol, he’s our employee.”

Hansol knew that Mikyung thought Wonwoo was straight, but it hurt him a little when Seungcheol referred to him as just an employee.

Mikyung regarded him, then turned back to Seungcheol. “You may want to rethink that; he has a weak handshake.” She patted Seungcheol’s shoulder and walked past him up the stairs. “I’m going to see my son.”

“Okay, I’ll be up in a moment,” Seungcheol called after her. When he turned back to Hansol his face had changed.

He moved to lean on the till, groaning. Hansol sat down again.

“That was something.”

Seungcheol dragged his hands down his face and looked at Hansol through his fingers. “Sorry I had to say you were just an employee. She’d tell my parents.”

“That’s okay, I get it.”

Seungcheol looked over his shoulder at the stairs, lowering his voice when he turned back. “You might not want to hang around up stairs while she’s here. It gets messy.”

As if on cue, Wonwoo thudded down the stairs, Mikyung yelling after him from upstairs. He ignored Hansol and Seungcheol as he all but ran out of The Shop, slamming the door behind him.

“Shit, sorry babe I gotta deal with this.”

Hansol leant forward for a kiss, but Seungcheol was already heading towards the stairs. His voice faded as he ascended the stairs, shutting the door at the top of them. The Shop was suddenly very quiet and Hansol felt very isolated as he waited for something to happen.

 

* * *

 

 

It was half an hour before Mingyu came down stairs and into The Shop. Hansol stood up on instinct, only sitting down when Mingyu was standing by the till. He pulled the spare stool out and sat on it, leaning over to rest his head on Hansol’s shoulder. After freezing a little, Hansol relaxed and put an arm awkwardly around Mingyu to help support him.

“How is it up there?”

Mingyu groaned. “Homophobic. I don’t know how Seungcheol does it; acting like what she did was good and actually _encouraging_ it.”

Hansol shrugged with the shoulder that wasn’t occupied by Mingyu’s head. “I guess it’s just a way of surviving.”

Mingyu lifted his head with a sigh. “Do your parents know?”

Hansol nodded. “My aunt got married to her wife in New Zealand recently, but they’ve been engaged for like, sixteen years. So I guess it was normalised in my family.” He thought for a moment. “I don’t think I ever really came out to them, I just told them I was seeing someone and it happened to be a guy and they were fine with it.”

Mingyu nodded. “That’s pretty ideal. Congratulations to your aunt, by the way.”

Hansol smiled, the warm, proud feeling welling up in his chest. “Yeah, she’s really happy. What about you though?”

“I mean there was no aunt, but I came out to them when I was fourteen as bi and my mum came out back to me.”

“She’s bi?”

“Yeah. Turns out I’m not, and my dad is still a bit weird about it sometimes, but it’s not bad, you know?”

“Yeah. We’re pretty lucky really.”

Mingyu sighed, reaching over and holding Hansol’s hand. “Very lucky.”

Hansol looked down at their hands, not sure what do to about it. He decided it was just a friendly gesture and that Mingyu needed support, so he went with it, rubbing the back of his hand with his thumb.

They sat in silence holding hands for ten minutes before Wonwoo got back. He stepped inside and held the door open for a girl around Hansol’s height. She stopped just inside the door, staring at Hansol and Mingyu as they still held hands.

Wonwoo shut the door and walked over to the till, placing a hand on it and looking at the ceiling. “Where is she?”

“Still up there, Seungcheol’s talking to her.” Mingyu tightened his grip on Hansol’s hand a little.

Wonwoo looked back to Mingyu, leaning forward to kiss him. Hansol averted his eyes, catching sight of the girl behind Wonwoo. She smiled at him and he returned it, wanting to introduce himself but feeling weird about doing it while holding Mingyu’s hand as he made out with Wonwoo.

When they finished, Wonwoo straightened up. “This is Hyejin. Hyejin this is Mingyu and Seungcheol’s boyfriend Hansol.”

Hyejin stepped forward, nodding politely to the two of them. “Hey, sorry I have to pretend to date your boyfriend.”

Mingyu laughed a little. “It’s okay, circumstances call for it, so.” He didn’t finish his sentence.

Wonwoo looked at Hansol and Mingyu’s hands, finally noticing them. He then looked at Mingyu. “Are you okay? Did she say something to you?”

“No, I’m okay. It’s just a lot to process.”

Wonwoo nodded slowly and turned to Hansol. “Look after him and don’t go upstairs. It’s not safe.”

With that, he and Hyejin left to go upstairs, leaving Hansol shocked by the fact that Wonwoo seemed to care about his safety.

“I didn’t think he liked me.”

Mingyu laughed, letting go of Hansol’s hand and standing up. “He likes you a lot. Can we go to yours? I don’t wanna be here.”

“Yeah, neither do I.”

Mingyu helped him lock up the till and close up The Shop, flipping over the sign and trying to ignore the muffled voices from above them. Hansol texted Seungcheol to let him know he had closed up early and the two of them stepped outside and started walking towards the university.

 

* * *

 

 

They ended up sitting on Hansol’s bed with his laptop on a chair in front of them so they could watch a movie. Neither of them were really invested in it, but it was light hearted and they could breathe. After the movie, they showed each other shitty memes on YouTube, discovering that they had a similar sense of humour. As it got later, Hansol pulled two cup noodles from under the small sink in the corner of his room and ran the tap till the water was hot enough.

He set the noodles on his desk and sat back down on the bed as Mingyu shut the blind on the wall next to them. It was the first time they had spent time together just the two of them, which seemed like a strange thought to Hansol, but Seungcheol had always been with them. He was surprised by the ease with which he was able to talk to Mingyu and the comfort of their silences.

They left a fail compilation playing as they ate their noodles, Mingyu lying on his side and propped up by his elbow as Hansol sat cross legged. Mingyu finished first, passing his empty cup to Hansol who put it back on his desk.

“Does Seungcheol ever play with your hair?”

Hansol was confused by the question, swallowing a mouthful of noodles and clearing his throat. “Yeah, why?”

Mingyu looked like he was trying to figure out how best not to embarrass himself. “It’s just that, he was playing with my hair this morning and it calmed me down a lot and I just,” he sighed heavily, “I need calming down right now.”

Hansol smiled, taking one more mouthful and putting his cup next to Mingyu’s. He sat back against the head of his bed and gestured for Mingyu to move up the bed. He did so, resting his head on Hansol’s knee and reaching to reposition the laptop. Hansol slowly threaded his hands through Mingyu’s hair and felt his entire body instantly relax. He rubbed in circles, pressing a little harder at the top of his neck and behind his ears, combining Seungcheol’s technique with what he could remember of hairdressers doing the same.

As Mingyu started another video, Hansol reached over to his desk and picked up his copy of _Carmilla_ by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. They stayed like this for a long time, Hansol’s hand rubbing Mingyu’s head all the while.

“I’m too scared to go back.”

Hansol shut his book, keeping his place with a finger. “That’s understandable. You can stay here if you want.”

Mingyu sniffed, and Hansol realised he had been crying. “Thank you.”

They shut the laptop and got up from the bed, Hansol digging through his drawers to find Mingyu a shirt that would actually fit him. He fished out the biggest shirt he owned, but it still left a sliver of skin exposed above the waistband of his pants, causing the two of them to laugh. Hansol retrieved his pyjamas from under his pillow and turned his back as he got changed. When Mingyu saw his matching button up set, he laughed.

“I know two years really isn’t that big of a difference, but sometimes you really do seem a lot younger than us.”

Hansol pouted, not taking it seriously. “They’re more comfortable than your shirt-boxers combo.”

Mingyu ruffled his hair. “Has your mum labelled the days on your underwear?”

Hansol laughed, walking to his chest of drawers and pulling out a pair of boxers, showing Mingyu the inside of the waistband. “She has, actually.”

“Shit, I don’t think my parents ever did that.”

Hansol shrugged, putting the boxers back in the drawer and going back to his bed. “Right, how are we gonna do this?”

Mingyu regarded the bed as well. “Top and tail?”

Hansol wrinkled his nose. “If you like being kicked in the face.”

“Can your feet reach?”

Hansol shoved him a little and they laughed together, then falling into silence as they looked down at the bed. Hansol shrugged. “Fuck it.”

He turned off the lights and threw off the covers. “Left or right?”

“Right,” Mingyu said, climbing onto the bed first.

“Good, I have to be close to the door.”

Hansol climbed in after him and they spent a couple minutes shifting around, trying to find a comfortable position. Hansol was glad he had been given a king single rather than a regular. In the end, Hansol lay on his side facing the door as Mingyu did the same behind him. There was a space between them, but Mingyu still slung an arm around him.

“Hey, Hansol?”

“Yeah?”

“No homo.”

Hansol laughed. “That’s cool bro, only counts if the balls touch.”

This made Mingyu shake with laughter; a loud, almost booming sound that shook the whole bed. “Shit that’s good.”

“Thanks. Hey I think your phone’s ringing.”

Mingyu sat up, reaching over Hansol to pick up his phone from the desk and answering it. “Hey, sorry I was gonna call you.”

The room was quiet enough for Hansol to hear Wonwoo on the other end.

“Where are you?”

“Hansol’s, he’s letting me stay the night.”

“I need you.”

Mingyu lay down on his back. “What kind of need me.”

“My mother is here and Seungcheol and I had a fight.”

Mingyu sighed. “Not tonight, Wonwoo. I’m sorry.”

“Please.”

Hansol heard Mingyu hold his breath for a moment before he replied. “I’m sorry.”

“Okay.”

“Please don’t do anything dumb.”

“Okay.”

“Wonwoo?”

“Yes?”

“I love you.”

Hansol felt a pang of sadness.

“I love you, too.”

“Stay safe.”

“Okay.”

Mingyu hung up and let out a long, deep sigh. Hansol turned over to face Mingyu.

“Are you okay?”

“No. I want to go to sleep.”

“That’s okay. Do you want to be the little spoon?”

Mingyu gave a weak laugh. “I would say yes, but you really are very short.”

Hansol smiled at him, knowing the dim light from the window was enough to see his face by. He then turned over again to face the door and let Mingyu wrap an arm around him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have written so much today wot the Fucc I'm on a roll blease. If there's anything yall wanna see in this btw let me know, I have a vague idea for an overall story line but I'd like to have bits in between as well, so if there's anything you think would be nice then let me know


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mingyu goes back to The Shop and sorts things out with Wonwoo. Hansol and Seungcheol r supportive friends god mbless. A lot of hurt n comfort in this one folks  
> No content warnings for this chapter I don't think

Hansol talked in his sleep. Not enough to disturb Mingyu or to have conversations with, but every so often he would mumble something about “avocadoes are expensive these days” or “I’m not a cow”. When he woke up for a final time, Mingyu was face to face with Hansol, whose eyes were closed as he spoke.

“Seungcheol if you bring that thing anywhere near me I’m going to throw it out the window.”

Mingyu laughed, startling Hansol as his eyes blinked open.

“What, why are you laughing?” Hansol rolled onto his back and rubbed his eyes with the balls of his hand.

“You sleep talk.”

“Oh shit yeah, sorry I should’ve warned you.” Hansol put his arms over the covers and rested them on his torso. “What did I say?”

“You told Seungcheol that if he brought ‘that thing’ anywhere near you you’d throw it out the window.”

“Oh, that one.”

“What one?”

Hansol turned back onto his side to face Mingyu. “I have this recurring dream about the china cow in The Shop.”

“The creamer?”

Hansol’s eyes went wide. “That’s what it’s for?”

Mingyu laughed, patting Hansol’s shoulder. “Yeah, you put cream in it.”

Hansol nodded, then made a slightly disgusted face. “That’s fucking weird. I think you just made it worse.”

Mingyu laughed again, reaching over to get his phone and seeing he had three missed calls and seven texts from Seungcheol.

“You might want to check your phone,” he told Hansol as he started reading through the texts. They were mostly just asking if he knew where Wonwoo was, then saying that he had found him.

Mingyu was about to call him back when he heard Hansol greet him on his own phone.

“What happened last night?” he looked at Mingyu who was trying to listen. “Hold on, I’ll put you on speaker.”

The start of his sentence was cut off before Hansol put him on speaker. “– Gyu still with you?”

“Yeah I’m here. What’s up, is he okay?”

“More or less. Got back about two hours ago freezing his ass off and trashed. I think he got into a fight.”

“How bad?” Mingyu’s heart started beating hard against his ribcage and he felt an overwhelming wave of guilt.

“He’s been worse, just a black eye. Pretty sure he won.”

“Where is he now?”

“I am currently,” Seungcheol’s voice strained a little as he sounded like he was stepping over or around something. “Standing over him. He’s asleep. He also smells like shit, so there’s that.”

“I should’ve seen him last night. Shit, I fucked up.”

“Did he call you?”

Mingyu felt bad for Hansol, who was completely out of the conversation.

“Yeah, he said you two got into a fight.”

“Oh, that was nothing.” He lowered his voice. “It’s mostly his mum that’s the problem here. He was just pissed ‘cause I cockblocked him.”

Mingyu’s heart dropped into his stomach. “What.”

“Oh shit, no I mean,” Seungcheol sighed and Hansol took Mingyu’s hand in his. “Listen you know how he is, he gets upset and he needs to have sex. So he tried to with Hyejin but I sent her home before anything could happen, so no worries there. Then I was talking him down after his mum went to bed and he,” he paused. “Wait, is Hansol still here?”

“Yeah I’m here.” Hansol squeezed Mingyu’s hand.

“Fuck, sorry about this next part babe.”

“This isn’t about me.”

“Yeah, but I still –”

“Cheol, get on with it.”

“Okay, um. So I was talking him down and he kinda tried to get me in bed with him.”

“Shit,” Mingyu felt his eyes prickling and tried to blink the tears back into his tear ducts. This backfired however, and they ran sideways across his face and down onto the pillow.

Hansol saw and let go of his hand, moving it to his hair and playing with it. Mingyu felt his stress and anxiety dissipate instantly, but the vast devastation he felt behind his sternum was still there.

“He didn’t mean it, Mingyu. You weren’t there and me and Hyejin were, that’s all it was.” He stopped when Mingyu’s throat failed to stifle a sob. “Are you crying?”

Mingyu was relieved when Hansol took over. “Yeah, he is.”

“Shit. Look, I know it’s useless for me to say but I really don’t think you should jump to conclusions until you talk to him. The kid loves you, Mingyu, so _so_ much. He’d never actually go through with anything, even if I hadn’t stopped him.”

“I think he needs to just have a moment to calm down first, then I can walk him over.”

“Okay, thanks babe. I’ll try to distract Mikyung; take her out to lunch or something so you two can have some time together.”

“What about deals? It’s a Saturday so people will be coming in.”

They talked back and forth about the business while Mingyu’s entire body was rocked by wave after wave of grief. He tried to tell himself he couldn’t jump to conclusions, that he needed to talk to Wonwoo, that he needed to just see him and everything would be alright.

He focused back on his surroundings when Hansol stopped rubbing his hair to put his phone back on the desk. Hansol wrapped his arms around Mingyu’s shoulders and pulled him into his chest, one hand on his back and the other back in his hair. Mingyu stopped trying to stay quiet, his sobs muffled instead by Hansol’s chest.

When his crying settled a little, Hansol let him shuffle back again.

“Cheol was right, you need to talk to him.”

“I feel stupid,” Mingyu said, because he did. “Nothing even _happened_ why am I so upset?”

Hansol got out of bed and disappeared into his small bathroom, returning with a toilet roll. He sat on the edge of his bed and tore off a few sheets, passing them to Mingyu.

“Thanks.”

“You’re upset because something almost did happen, that’s not stupid. This is a normal, reasonable reaction to something like that.”

Mingyu sat up, the duvet falling away from him as he blew his nose. “I’m sure I’ll get there and I’ll talk to him and it’ll be fine.”

“But right now, it feels like shit.”

Mingyu laughed wetly. “It’s fucking awful.”

Hansol reached out a hand and Mingyu gripped it like it was the only thing keeping him tethered to the earth.

 

* * *

 

Once Seungcheol gave them the all clear, Hansol walked with Mingyu to The Shop. They paused outside so Mingyu could take a breath before unlocking the door and stepping inside.

The Shop felt different, even thought Mingyu knew it shouldn’t have. It felt cold and stale, and he walked to the stairs without meaning to.

Hansol sat down at the till and started sorting things out, looking over to Mingyu as he still stood staring up the stairs.

“Do you want me to go with you?”

“No, I should do it alone.”

Hansol nodded. “Well I’ll be down here if you need me.”

“Thanks.”

He took another moment to collect himself before he actually went upstairs, unlocking the door at the top and going straight to his room. Wonwoo was asleep on the bed, cocooned in the duvet. Seungcheol’s mattress on the floor was unmade and Mingyu stood on it to get closer to Wonwoo. He sat on the edge of the bed and lightly shook Wonwoo’s shoulder. Wonwoo groaned in response and pulled the duvet tighter around him.

“Wonwoo, it’s me.”

This woke him up, and he turned gingerly onto his back to look up at Mingyu. His left eye was bruised and his eyes were bloodshot. “Hi.”

“You look like shit.”

“Mm. You look beautiful.”

Mingyu smiled down at him. “Have you showered?” Wonwoo shook his head. “Okay, you need to.”

Mingyu stood up and helped push the duvet down Wonwoo’s body, then helping him stand and walking him across the hall to the bathroom. When he stepped into the shower, Wonwoo collapsed down onto the tiles, sliding down the wall. Mingyu caught him well enough that he didn’t hit his head, but he figured he wouldn’t be able to get him back up again.

With a sigh, he undressed him, taking the adjustable showerhead down and pointing it directly at the drain while it warmed up. Wonwoo watched him with hooded eyelids.

Once the water was warm enough, Mingyu took off his own shirt to stop it from getting wet and helped Wonwoo lean forward. He ran the water over his head, down his back, then over his chest and legs. With his free hand, he reached for the shampoo, then handed the showerhead to Wonwoo.

“Can you hold this?”

Wonwoo nodded, holding it with two hands in a fist. Mingyu squeezed some shampoo onto his hands and worked it into Wonwoo’s hair, trying to mimic the way Seungcheol and Hansol had played with his hair. Wonwoo made a sound that was somewhere between a moan and a groan in response. When his fingers got tired, Mingyu took the showerhead from Wonwoo and tipped his head back. With one hand, he supported Wonwoo’s head so it didn’t go back too far, and with the other he ran the water through his hair, rinsing the lather out and down the drain.

Once all the bubbles were gone, Mingyu passed the showerhead back and got a bar of soap, working it into a lather between his hands and distributing it over Wonwoo’s body. Once he was finished with that, he applied a bit more pressure and gently massaged Wonwoo’s arms, back, chest and legs. Wonwoo hummed and smiled a little as Mingyu went. Mingyu took the showerhead from him again and gently rinsed away the soap, turning off the water once he was done and standing to return the showerhead to its holder. He sat down on the step at the edge of the shower and looked down at Wonwoo who looked back up at him.

“Seungcheol told me what happened.”

Wonwoo sighed. “Yeah.”

“I’m upset, Wonwoo.”

“Yeah.”

“Have,” Mingyu had to pause as he felt a lump in his throat. “Have you slept with anyone else since I moved in?”

“No.”

“But how can I trust you? You didn’t even know we were dating until a few days ago, and after last night how.” He inwardly kicked himself for crying.  “How am I supposed to trust you.”

“Because I almost did. But I could never follow through.”

“I know this is hard for you but I need more than that.”

Wonwoo pushed himself up off the tiles with difficulty as Mingyu broke down again. Mingyu hid his face in his hands and felt Wonwoo wrap his arms around him, pulling him into the shower with him and onto his lap.

“Every time I got close to doing anything with anyone else I started to feel gross. I started sweating and my stomach felt bad and like I was going to throw up. A few times I did throw up. When I talked to Seungcheol about it he told me it was guilt. So I stopped.”

“Until last night.”

“Eomeoni is here. Things are different.”

Mingyu let out a long, wet sigh. “I’m sorry I left last night. I should’ve been here for you.”

Wonwoo kissed the top of Mingyu’s head. “It’s okay. It’s a lot to take in.”

“I still should’ve been here to support you.”

Wonwoo hushed him, hugging him tighter. “I’m okay and you’re okay and nothing bad happened.”

Mingyu laughed. “You have a black eye.”

“Do I?”

Mingyu pulled himself up so that he was sitting sideways in Wonwoo’s lap, winding his arms around his neck. “Yeah, it’s not too bad but it’s there.”

Wonwoo frowned. “I think I got into a fight with a bin man.”

Mingyu laughed again, leaning in and kissing Wonwoo. His heart felt lighter and he felt relieved and comfortable, even though his clothes were starting to get wet and the angle was a little awkward.

Before things escalated, Mingyu pulled away, standing up and hooking his arms under Wonwoo’s to hoist him up.

“Come on, you need to get dressed. I’ll make you some coffee.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If there's anything in here that u think I should be giving a content warning for please let me know! Same goes for past and future chapters I want this to be as safe as possible for my readers


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of hurt and comfort for Cheolsol and backstory for Seungcheol bc I ?? haven't given him any yet wtf  
> Content warning: drug ment (light), conversion therapy ment (very very light), death ment

Hansol had never actually made a sale himself, but he’d been witness to so many that he figured he would be fine. He had told Seungcheol this on the phone, but it didn’t stop him from texting Hansol every five minutes to make sure he was okay.

When half an hour went by with no text, Hansol started to get worried and called Seungcheol.

“Oh thank god,” Seungcheol’s voice echoed on the other end when he picked up.

“Are you in a toilet?”

“Well, I’m not going to take a phone call from my boyfriend about our weed business in front of a homophobic conservative, am I?”

Hansol laughed. “Fair enough. So why haven’t you texted for a while? You were being pretty consistent for a while there.”

“I ran out of credit.”

“Wow, that’s dedication.”

“Can you just, text me updates so I know everything’s okay?”

“Yeah, I can do that. Nothing happened in the past half an hour except some freshmen came in trying to get something so I told them there was a waiting list.”

“No one causing you any trouble?”

“Nope, I’ve got everything under control.”

Seungcheol breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank god. What about the other two?”

Hansol glanced at the stair case. “No word yet, but I heard the shower running a while ago. No yelling or sounds of anything breaking, which I guess is a good sign.”

“Very good. Okay babe I gotta go, she’ll tell me off for taking a shit in public if I stay in here too long.”

Hansol laughed, looking to the front of The Shop as the bell rang. “Okay, I gotta go too; customers.”

“Stay safe, and text me updates.”

“Will do,” Hansol said, rising from the stool to greet the customers. “I really gotta go, Cheol.”

“Okay okay, I’ll talk to you soon, love you.”

Before he could reply, Seungcheol had hung up. Hansol shook himself, putting his phone next to the till and greeting the customers.

“Hi, how can I help you?”

There were two of them; a tall, willowy woman and a short, stoic man with a goatee. The man looked around The Shop as the woman stood in front of the till, towering over Hansol.

“We’re here for what’s in the back room,” she said, not meeting Hansol’s eyes.

Something about her made Hansol very uncomfortable. “Sure, can I get a name?”

“Lee.”

Hansol laughed, taking the clipboard out from under the desk. “We have about twenty of those, I’m gonna need your first name too.”

He flipped to the letter L on the list of customers and scanned it for Lee Minji. “I’m sorry ma’am, we don’t have you on our list. You’ll have to go through a background check before we can sell to you.”

Minji nodded slowly, finally meeting Hansol’s eyes. “What, do I have to sign up to buy weed?”

“That’s generally how we operate, yes.”

She shared a look with the man, who was standing by the books on the wall. She turned back to Hansol.

“Thank you.”

With out saying anything else, the two of them left. Hansol stowed away the clipboard and sat down again. He debated calling Seungcheol, but decided it would be better to text him.

[Sent, 1:34pm] Hey, still alive

[Received: Seungcheol, 1:34pm] Thanks babe

Hansol decided not to tell him about the people until Seungcheol got back in case he got too worked up, but felt he needed to tell someone.

[Sent, 1:35pm] Everything okay up there?

He bounced his knee as he waited for a reply.

[Received: Mingyu, 1:37pm] Crisis: averted

[Received: Mingyu, 1:37pm] Peace: restored

[Received: Mingyu, 1:38pm] Dick: not out

[Received: Mingyu, 1:39pm] Thanks for everything, by the way, it means a lot

[Sent, 1:40pm] It’s no problem man, I’m glad things are okay now

[Received: Mingyu, 1:41pm] Yeah well idk if I would’ve been able to do it without your help

[Sent, 1:41pm] You would’ve been fine man, but I’m glad I could be there for u

[Received: Mingyu, 1:42pm] Thanks bro, sorry our balls didn’t touch

Hansol laughed, feeling a bit more at ease as he typed in his next reply.

[Sent, 1:43pm] If your dick really isn’t out, is it cool if I come up? Got some business stuff to talk about

[Received: Mingyu, 1:44pm] Sure, we’re on the balcony

When he got onto the balcony, Mingyu and Wonwoo had their chairs right next to each other and were holding hands, a mug of black coffee and a glass of orange juice on the table. They both looked up as Hansol shoved the door open and joined them at the table. Wonwoo looked exhausted, his eye starting to swell with the bruising. Mingyu’s eyes were still a bit puffy, but he looked quietly happy.

“You two are a sight for sore eyes.”

Mingyu laughed and the corner of Wonwoo’s mouth tugged up.

“Everything sorted out?”

Mingyu turned to Wonwoo who cleared his throat and looked intently at the glass of orange juice. “Yeah. Mingyu stopped crying, at least.”

The three of them laughed a little, and Hansol felt bad for bringing something negative back to them.

“Some people just came into The Shop and I think they were like, cops or something?”

Mingyu sat up a little more. “What makes you think that?”

Hansol told them what happened and Mingyu thought for a moment. “Doesn’t sound like cops.”

“What _does_ it sound like?”

Mingyu took in a sharp breath, letting go of Wonwoo’s hand and leaning forwards. “Do you know of any other drug dealing services in the area?”

Hansol shrugged. “Not really my scene, if you’d believe it. I can ask around though.”

“Don’t make it obvious. Actually, don’t do it, I’ll sort things out. My cousin might know, I’ll give him a call.”

Hansol looked at Mingyu expectantly as he got his phone out of his pocket. Wonwoo rested his arm on the back of Mingyu’s chair and picked up the coffee to take a drink.

“Thanks for letting us know, Hansol. You can go back down if you want.”

“Okay. I haven’t told Cheol yet; he can’t really talk on the phone and I figured a text would just freak him out.”

Wonwoo nodded. “Smart.”

Hansol left them to it and went back downstairs, relieved to find the shop empty. He planted himself back on his stool and reached for his phone.

[Sent, 2:02pm] Still kickin’

[Received: Seungcheol, 2:03pm] Good to hear

 

* * *

 

The rest of the day was uneventful, with Seungcheol and Mikyung returning just as Hansol was closing up. He greeted them both politely, not knowing if he should talk to Seungcheol or not. They walked past him and went upstairs without any conversation, and Hansol was about to leave without saying goodbye when he got a text.

[Received: Seungcheol, 5:07pm] I’ll be down in a minute, can you wait for me?

[Sent, 5:07pm] Sure

Seungcheol came down the stairs a few minutes later, carrying a duffel bag.

“Hope you don’t mind me crashing at yours? Mingyu said he could handle things for a night. I think they want the room to themselves.”

Hansol raised his brows. “With her in the next room?”

Seungcheol shrugged, giving Hansol a brief kiss. “They _can_ be quiet if they really want to.”

Hansol laughed, opening the door and letting Seungcheol step out before him. “Sure, Jan.”

They held hands as they walked back to the dorms, talking lightly and avoiding big subjects. When they got to Hansol’s room, it was a mess from Mingyu that morning. The duvet was on the floor and there was crumpled up toilet paper littered around the floor. The empty cups of noodles were still on the desk.

Hansol closed the door behind them and put his backpack on his desk, collapsing on the bed. “He produces so much snot, you wouldn’t believe.”

Seungcheol placed his bag by the door and navigated his way to the bed, falling onto it next to Hansol. “He had a cold for two weeks last year. It was hell.”

Hansol winced. “I can imagine.”

Seungcheol propped himself up on his elbows and looked around the room. “This is pretty impressive, though. How’d the duvet get on the floor?”

Hansol shrugged. “It’s all a blur of tears and tissues.”

Seungcheol laughed. “They seemed okay when I was up there before. Mind you I wasn’t there for long.”

“They’re okay, I talked to them for a bit when they were sitting on the balcony holding hands and cuddling.”

“What a relief. I can deal with me and Wonwoo fighting, but I don’t know how to deal with them fighting.”

Hansol got up from the bed and started collecting the pieces of toilet paper into the small bin he kept under his desk. “Have they not fought before?”

“Not really. Mingyu gets frustrated with Wonwoo sometimes, but they don’t have big fights like me and Wonwoo do.”

When he had picked up all the toiler paper, Hansol put the bin back under his desk and picked up the duvet. Seungcheol moved up the bed as Hansol spread the duvet out over him, then lying face down on the bed himself.

“I didn’t think you and Wonwoo fought.”

Seungcheol laughed. “We fight a lot. They’re big fights, but they’re never serious, you know? Like at the end of the day we still love each other so it’s never too serious.”

“Like siblings?”

“Yeah, I don’t have any but I imagine that’s what it’s like.”

Hansol put his head on Seungcheol’s chest, draping an arm over his torso. “Me and my sister fight heaps, but we don’t even have to apologise for the argument to be over. You have the fight, you yell at each other, you storm off, then you tell them a joke five minutes later and everything’s fine.”

“Sounds about right.” Seungcheol pulled Hansol closer to him and kissed the top of his head. “Sorry all of this is going on, I know it’s a lot to handle.”

Hansol shook his head. “It’s okay, I’m more worried about you lot. I’m doing fine.”

Seungcheol pulled Hansol into his lap, circling his arms around him and forming a sort of protective shell. Hansol froze, trying to figure out what was going on, only speaking when Seungcheol started sniffling.

“Cheol?”

“Mm?”

“What are you doing?”

“I think I’m protecting you?”

Hansol shifted a little. “From what?”

“Everything,” his voice was ragged and he sniffed again.

Hansol sat up, forcing Seungcheol to uncurl from around him. When Hansol saw his face, it was wet with a steady stream of tears, his eyes bloodshot and his lip trembling. Hansol placed his hands either side of his face.

“Cheol, what’s wrong?”

Seungcheol closed his eyes and held his breath.

“Baby?”

With that, Seungcheol collapsed forwards onto Hansol’s chest and started to wail, his whole body heaving. Hansol repositioned them so that he was lying on his side, cradling Seungcheol in his arms and playing with his hair. Seungcheol’s body was limp, his sobs taking control of his muscles.

Hansol made a hushing sound and kissed Seungcheol’s hair. “It’s okay, get it out, I’ll wait, you’re okay.” He repeated this like a mantra as Seungcheol cried until he couldn’t cry anymore.

When he was done, Seungcheol rolled to lie on his back. Hansol reached for what was left of the toilet roll and passed it to Seungcheol, who used it to blow his nose and mop up his tears.

“Cheol, what happened?”

Seungcheol sighed in a way that indicated he wanted to keep crying but had used up all his energy. “It’s a long story.”

“We have all night, baby, I’m not going anywhere.”

“It’s just,” he held his breath again, “it’s been three years today.”

Hansol shuffled closer and slung his arm of Seungcheol’s torso. “Three years since what?”

“Since Hanbin.”

Hansol frowned, trying to remember if Seungcheol had mentioned the name before. “Who’s Hanbin?”

Seungcheol closed his eyes, dislodging a tear that ran into his hairline. “He was my boyfriend.”

This threw Hansol, because Seungcheol had never mentioned any past boyfriends. Although he supposed it shouldn’t have surprised him, as he knew that Seungcheol had experience.

He lightly kissed Seungcheol’s shoulder. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“No. Yes. I mean,” he sighed, “I know I should, but it hurts.”

Hansol rubbed his stomach in a way he hoped was soothing. “Take your time, I’ll be here.”

It was a while before Seungcheol spoke, and he opened and closed his mouth several times before he finally started.

“Hanbin and I pretty much grew up together, like our parents were friends. Wanted us to be each others best man or whatever. But,” he furrowed his brows, “I don’t know how it happened, it just kinda did.”

“What, you two dating?”

“Yeah, you know he was my best friend and my first kiss when we were like eight. We were too young to know it wasn’t normal and we spent pretty much all our time together and held hands and shared beds. I think we were fifteen when we realised we were in love. Pretty soon after that we figured out we weren’t allowed to be.”

Hansol’s hand moved up to Seungcheol’s chest and he started to draw shapes. “That must’ve been scary.”

“Terrifying. You’ve met Mikyung; pretty much everyone in our town’s like that. We had to be careful and hide it. Of course we told Wonwoo, because he was in our group of three and it didn’t seem fair to keep it from him. That was scary at the time.”

“But it was fine right? I mean judging by the fact you live together with his boyfriend.”

Seungcheol laughed weakly. “Yeah, he cried and thanked us because he’d wanted to come out for a few years but was too scared. So we were a happy, gay little trio.” He took a deep breath. “Then Wonwoo came out to his mum and got sent to conversion therapy and it was just the two of us, which was weird for a while. But he came back, and he was different but he was still Wonwoo, so it was fine.”

Hansol did the maths in his head. “So we’re up to four years ago, right?”

“Yeah.”

Hansol kissed his shoulder again. “You don’t have to rush.”

“Thanks, it’s okay. So the three of us were still friends, all hiding in the closet together. But we figured we could go to the same university all of us together and that way we wouldn’t have to hide from anyone, be away from our parents and just be gay freely.”

Hansol was about to ask if he had met Hanbin, but Seungcheol continued.

“Those first three months were so good.” He was smiling wide, looking up at the ceiling. “We were nineteen and gay and in love and it felt like we had everything figured out. Everything was good.

“This was back in the early days of The Shop, before it was even The Shop; we were just selling out of our pockets. Wonwoo was still running errands like he is now, because he’s a scary looking guy and we all know I’m too soft. But then Mikyung came to visit and they went out for lunch and there was something on the other side of town.” He thought for a moment, Hansol still tracing shapes on his chest. “I don’t even remember what it was, but Wonwoo was still out and Hanbin,” his voice faltered and he cleared his throat. “Hanbin said he would do it.

“I tried to stop him, tell him I could go or we could wait for Wonwoo, but he told me to stop worrying.” He sighed, shutting his eyes. “I’m so glad I told him I loved him. I’m _so_ glad I did that because.” He held his breath and let it out, holding it again then letting it out. “He died.”

Hansol felt himself start to cry, simply upset by seeing Seungcheol so distraught. “Cheol, I’m so sorry that’s, that’s fucking awful.”

Seungcheol finally turned his head and looked at Hansol, his voice just a ragged whisper. “I had to lie to his parents. I had to tell them that he was just my friend, that he was caught in the crossfire of something we didn’t know about. In my eulogy, I couldn’t even say that I was in love with him. I had to lie even after he died.”

Hansol placed his hand softly on Seungcheol’s cheek, wiping at his tears as Seungcheol melted into the touch. “You blame yourself.”

He already knew the answer, but that did little to stop the breaking of his heart as Seungcheol nodded.

“You shouldn’t – don’t interrupt me – you shouldn’t blame yourself. I know you do and it’s hard and you can’t get rid of that survivor’s guilt, but you couldn’t have done anything.”

“I could’ve gone instead, it could’ve been me.”

“But then I wouldn’t have met you,” Hansol’s voice was wavering. “I wouldn’t have met you and I wouldn’t have –” he bit his lip but finished his sentence. “I wouldn’t have fallen in love with you.”

Seungcheol sniffed loudly. “You’ve fallen in love with me?”

“Well, yeah I mean.” He felt heat creeping up his neck and onto his cheeks. “I kinda thought we both had. You said it on the phone today.”

Seungcheol turned onto his side, taking both of Hansol’s hands in his. “Don’t, don’t. I do love you.” He pressed their kips together several times. “I do I do I was just scared you didn’t love me.”

Hansol giggled against his lips. “Of course I love you, don’t be ridiculous.”

They let one of the kisses last a bit longer before Hansol pulled away. “I’m really sorry about Hanbin.”

“It wasn’t your fault.”

“It wasn’t yours, either.”

Seungcheol opened his mouth but thought better and just smiled. “Thank you.”

“I’ll try to stop telling you not to worry so much.”

Seungcheol breathed out hard, his breath warm on Hansol’s face. “Thank you.”

“You need food and rest,” Hansol said, rolling off the bed and going to get some cup noodles from the cupboard.

When they had finished their noodles, they put the cups next to the ones from the previous night. They didn’t bother changing as they got under the covers.

Seungcheol held Hansol against his chest and kissed him just behind his ear. “I love you so much.”

Hansol squeezed his hand as their fingers intertwined. “I love you too, Cheol.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone hates Mikyung and Mingyu gets in touch with his cousin. Bit of Cheolsol on the side there bless up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yall I can't believe I was really out here tryna write this for so long omg I'm so sorry !! things have been fuckin wild over here but I finally shat this out so here u go !!!! I'll try to write more often but no promises

Mingyu held his breath as soon as he woke up. He knew in his brain that Wonwoo wouldn’t be there, but that didn’t stop his heart from dropping when he found the bed cold. He turned over onto his back, duvet draped low on his hips and looked up at the ceiling.

“I just got him,” he said to the peeling paint.

After letting out a long sigh, he picked up on voices that were coming from the kitchen. He made to get out of bed and immediately grimaced at the sheen of sweat on his body and how it made the sheets stick to him. His night terrors were back.

He cursed Mikyung under his breath as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. There was an outline of his body in sweat on the bed and he grimaced again, standing and stripping the bed. Grabbing his dressing gown from a hook on the back of the door, he wrapped it around himself and stepped out into the hallway and over to the linen cupboard. He pulled out a new towel and slipped into the bathroom before Mikyung could catch sight of him.

Once the water was scalding hot, he got in and scrubbed his skin almost raw. When his skin was too sensitive to bear the water, he stepped out of the shower and patted himself dry, wincing around the areas he had focused on more. Back in his room, he threw on a pair of jeans and a shirt, trying to soothe his skin where patches of it were still red.

When he went out to the kitchen, Wonwoo and Mikyung were standing side by side in front of the stove.

“Morning,” he said as he walked to the fridge and stifled a yawn.

“Afternoon,” Wonwoo corrected him and Mikyung tutted.

“What’s the time?” Mingyu took the bottle of orange juice from the shelf.

“Half past one.”

Mingyu’s eyebrows shot up his forehead and he had to think around the curse word he wanted to blurt out. “Oops.” He grimaced. “Did I miss anything?”

Mikyung put some chopped up onions in the frying pan in front of Wonwoo, who poured some oil over them and started stirring them around.

“Not really. Do you remember waking up last night?” Wonwoo didn’t look up from the pan.

Mingyu shut his eyes and walked to sit at a stool, taking a glass of orange juice with him. He opened his eyes again when he was seated. “Nope.”

“You woke up last night.”

“No kidding.”

“You were crying too.”

Mingyu took a sip of his orange juice in place of a reply.

Mikyung spared Mingyu a look over her shoulder, her face surprisingly soft. “Are you hungry?”

“Uh, yeah. What are you making do you need any help?”

She smiled at him - a smile that was entirely Wonwoo’s - and shook her head. “ _We_ are making curry. _You_ are sitting right there and leaving us to it.”

Mingyu narrowed his eyes at her back as she turned back to help Wonwoo with the rest of the curry. By the time they had finished, Mingyu’s stomach was rumbling.

“Should we sit on the deck?” Mikyung said, looking out at the balcony.

“Okay. Could you please get the plates, Eomma?”

Mikyung opened a few cupboards and Mingyu pointed to the one with the plates. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” He stood and looked down at his empty glass. “Do you want anything to drink.”

Wonwoo, holding the frying pan full of curry in one hand and a bowl full of rice in the other, started to say “orange juice”, but Mikyung spoke over him.

“Water for us thank you.”

She went out to the balcony with the plates and cutlery. Mingyu gave Wonwoo a look that said “do you want orange juice” and Wonwoo returned it with one that said “she said water so I’m having water”. Mingyu got three glasses and filled a jug from the tap.

They started their meal more or less in silence, Mikyung at one point wiping the corner of Wonwoo’s mouth with her thumb. Wonwoo was the first to finish his food, leaning back in his chair and absent mindedly turning his fork over and over on his plate.

Mingyu had long grown used to the sound of Wonwoo’s fork against the plate; so much so that it barely registered. What took him by surprise was Mikyung’s hand shooting out and slamming the fork flat on the plate, Wonwoo’s hand pinned down. The action made such a sound that Mingyu leapt out of his seat.

Mikyung paid Mingyu no mind as she wrenched the fork from under Wonwoo’s hand and placed it by her own plate.

“Don’t be annoying.”

Mingyu, still standing, clenched his jaw. Wonwoo looked up at him and nodded towards his chair. After a second’s hesitation, Mingyu sat down again. He could feel his blood boiling in his veins.

Not wanting to be rude and further anger the beast, Mingyu quickly and politely finished his food, leaving Mikyung as the only one still eating.

“So how did the two of you meet?”

Mingyu was brought out of a stupor. “Sorry?”

“How did you meet Wonwoo?”

Mingyu looked to Wonwoo for help, but he was staring at his fork by his mother’s plate. Mingyu decided to tell the truth.

“We had mutual friends,” truth “and we all ended up going to a movie together” it was a blind date “Wonwoo and I got along well” they had sex in Mingyu’s dorm room “so we started hanging out” they had sex in Mingyu’s dorm room “and here we are.”

Mikyung nodded, swallowing and clearing her throat delicately. “What about Seungcheol?”

“Ah, I met him through Wonwoo.” He walked in on them having sex in Wonwoo’s dorm room.

Mingyu made eye contact with Wonwoo, whose mouth twitched in a trace of a smile. Their stories matched up.

As Mikyung made plans with Wonwoo to go to a museum together that afternoon, Mingyu cleared the table for them. He washed the dishes and put the leftover curry in a plastic container in the fridge, thinking it would be good for someone’s dinner.

As he dried his hands on a tea towel he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and pulled it out to see he had a few texts piled up. He checked the texts from Hansol first.

[Received: Hansol, 9:51am] ya bois gonna be late to the shop today

[Received: Hansol, 9:52am] The Shop*

[Received: Hansol, 9:52am] Cheol says hi btw

He pulled up the keyboard to reply as Wonwoo and Mikyung walked through the living room into the hall way.

“We’re off to explore,” Mikyung explained.

Mingyu bit his tongue before he accidentally outed himself. “Okay, have fun.”

He stood watching the door for a few minutes after it closed, then turned back to his phone.

[Received: Sejoon, 2:43pm] Free now.

Mingyu didn’t like being alone so he got his wallet out of his room and descended the stairs to The Shop.

Hansol and Seungcheol were giggling and whispering behind the counter, Seungcheol practically sitting in Hansol’s lap. Seungcheol put his feet on the ground and stood up straight when he saw Mingyu.

“You look like hell, what happened?”

Hansol kept his hands on Seungcheol’s hips as he turned around to look at Mingyu over his shoulder. “Jesus, are you alright?”

Mingyu frowned at them. “Fuck you guys, I have night terrors.”

He tried not to notice the softening of their faces as he stamped around the counter to the door to the back room. With a hand on the handle, he turned to look at them. Both of them seemed concerned. His shoulders slumped.

“I’m fine, thanks for your concern. I gotta make a call.”

He tried not to slam the door behind him and fell into the chair closest to him. He reluctantly pulled his phone out of his pocket and pressed the call option on Sejoon’s contact.

“Mingyu! How are you?”

Mingyu couldn’t help smiling at how happy his cousin sounded to be talking to him. “I’m doing alright, thanks. What about you?”

“Never been better. It’s been too long, what’s new?”

Mingyu let out a long sigh. “I don’t wanna take up too much of your time.”

“You could never. Plus I’ve got Kyungmin handling shit for the rest of the day so you don’t have to worry.”

He found himself unloading everything on Sejoon. He didn’t realise how much he was holding back until he let it all out; everything with Wonwoo and with Mikyung, the fact that his night terrors were back. Towards the end he felt himself tearing up and willed it away.

“Shit it feels good to get all of this off my chest. I mean I’ve got the others, but they’re too involved, you know?”

He could almost hear Sejoon’s understanding nod. “I get you. Any time you need me I’ll be there, you know that right?”

“Yeah, I know. Thanks.”

“No problem. Now what were you actually calling for?”

Mingyu had almost forgotten that he was calling him about the business and not just for a catch up. “Do you know of any drug dealers in my city?”

“You’re not getting into drugs, are you? Because you know it fucks you up.”

Mingyu laughed. “You run one of the biggest cartels in the country, how can _you_ tell me not to do drugs?”  
“Never do your own shit, you heard that before?” Mingyu hummed the positive. “I go above and beyond; don’t do _anyone’s_ shit.”

“Fair enough. I’m not doing drugs.”

“Good. Why do you need to know?”

“I may or may not be helping my boyfriend deal drugs.”

There was a pause. “I can’t tell if that’s better or worse.”

“I just run the books and shit, you know, because of what I learned from you.”

Sejoon sighed. “I knew it was a bad idea letting you in the meeting room. What kind of scale are you operating on?”

“Really small, we have like a hundred people on our list and all of them are uni kids. Plus it’s only weed.”

“You have a list for a hundred people?”

Mingyu’s face heated up. “We didn’t want it to get out of control.”

“Okay yeah, smart move. Wait, what was the question?”

“Are there any other drug dealers in my city?”

“Ah, right. Maybe a couple smaller ones but as far as I know most of the deals are overseen by some couple. The Lees, I think.”

Mingyu stood from his chair and moved back to the door. “One second I just gotta check that.” He held the phone speaker to his shoulder and opened the door, groaning when he caught Hansol and Seungcheol making out on the counter stool. “Guys, keep it professional for god’s sake.”

Hansol looked away, his neck going red as Seungcheol stood beside him and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Everything okay?” Seungcheol wouldn’t meet his eyes.

“Would be better if you weren’t in each other’s pants during work hours. Holly?”

Hansol spun in his chair so fast he almost fell off it, grabbing onto Seungcheol to keep his balance. “Yeah?” his voice was choked.

“What was the name of the lady that came in here?”

“Lee Minji.”

“Cool thanks. You better not be fucking next time I come out here.” He shut the door behind him and sat back down again, putting the phone back to his ear. “Is one of the Lees called Minji?”

He heard Sejoon hit a table. “Yeah! Lee Minji, I forget her husband’s name.”

“Well I know for a fact that Minji turned up to our Shop and was looking around.”

“Shop?”

“We sell it out of the back room of a second hand store.”

Sejoon let out a low whistle. “Smart. What was she doing there?”

“I wasn’t there so I don’t know exact details.”

“Get me the kid who was there.” He thought for a second. “I assume it was a kid?”

“Two years younger.”

“Shit. Get him on.”

Mingyu opened the door without looking outside. “Put up the sign, I need you guys in here.”

He left the door open for them and sat back down, putting his phone on speaker in the middle of the table.

“Sejoon, this is Seungcheol and Hansol. Guys, this is my cousin Sejoon.”

Seungcheol plopped himself haphazardly in a chair. “Drug dealer cousin?”

“The very same,” Mingyu sighed.

“So who met Minji?” Sejoon asked.

“I did,” Hansol said, watching Mingyu anxiously.

“What did she say to you?”

“She just asked to buy some,” he paused for a second, “marijuana and then I said she wasn’t on the list and she kinda laughed at me and then left.”

“Was she alone?”

“No uh, there was a guy with a goatee with her.”

“That’s the husband.” Sejoon let out a long, deep sigh. “I’ll ask some questions but I don’t think you really have anything to worry about. It’s not like you’re out there trying to start a cartel with like fifty guys. How many are you?”

“Four,” Mingyu answered before Seungcheol could. “Wonwoo’s not in at the moment.”

“I really wouldn’t worry if I were you, Gyu. But for your peace of mind I’ll look into it.”

Mingyu saw Seungcheol and Hansol let out relieved sighs.

“Thanks, Sejoon.”

“No problem. Remember, any time you need me.”

Mingyu reached forwards and picked up his phone. “You too man. Talk to you soon.”

“I’ll be in touch.”

Mingyu hung up and put the phone back in his pocket, looking at the potted weed plants in the corner of the room.

“Guess now we wait.”  


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hansol goes along as Wonwoo and Seungcheol visit their home town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warnings: death ment

The ride from The Shop to Seungcheol and Wonwoo’s home town was long and awkward as Hansol tried his best not to fall asleep leaning on Seungcheol’s shoulder. Three hours into the six hour drive, Hansol settled for putting his feet up in Seungcheol’s lap and leaning his head against the car door.

It had been a last minute decision to go back with Mikyung, but Hansol thought it would be good for Seungcheol to see his parents and visit Hanbin.

“I’ll miss you if I go,” Seungcheol insisted. They were in Hansol’s dorm bed, both wearing only their boxers and socks.

Hansol shrugged as well as he could with his head resting on Seungcheol’s chest. “I’ll go with you.”

He could feel Seungcheol’s laughter through his skin. “You don’t want to.”

Hansol lifted his head, placing a hand on Seungcheol’s chest. His hand always returned to that warm, comforting spot.

“Yes I do. You’re my boyfriend and I want to support you.”

Seungcheol smiled hesitantly. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, if you’re comfortable with that.”

Seungcheol kissed him softly. “Of course I am.”

As Hansol thought about actually meeting Seungcheol’s parents his stomach turned over. It was one thing talking about it, but completely another to see them face to face. He thought about texting Mingyu, but didn’t want to rub it in that he was going with them. Plus, he wasn’t altogether sure he could keep his eyes open long enough to wait for a reply.

 

* * *

 

Hansol woke up to Seungcheol shaking his shoulder.

“Hope you’re hungry, Ma made mac and cheese.”

The sun was at a place in the sky that everything was golden. Seungcheol was leaning over the backseat, smiling down at Hansol. A bit of his fringe fell forwards into a ray of light and in that moment Hansol felt he had never been more pansexual in his entire life.

Before he had the chance to pull Seungcheol down to kiss him, Hansol caught sight of a woman who looked to be in her sixties behind him. She smiled and waved at him as Seungcheol got out of the car and stretched, his shirt lifting up and away from the waistband of his jeans.

Hansol pushed himself upright and unbuckled his seatbelt, crawling across the backseat before realising he could have gotten out of the door he had been sleeping against. Seungcheol seemed to notice this as well, because he stifled a laugh before gesturing to the woman.

“Hansol, this is my mum, Sunmi. Ma, this is Hansol.”

Sunmi shook Hansol’s hand with both of hers. “It’s so nice to meet you, how did you manage on the trip?”

“Nice to meet you too. I slept through most of the car ride I think.”

“Ah that’s good, makes things go a lot faster.”

As Hansol went to reply, Mikyung appeared seemingly out of thin air and got into the car. Hansol turned around to see where she had come from and saw Wonwoo coming out of the front door of a two-story farm house. Hansol thanked Mikyung for the ride as Seungcheol walked around the car to hug Wonwoo. Sunmi told him his bags were already inside and Hansol walked around to say goodbye to Wonwoo.

Wonwoo surprised him by pulling him into a hug, lightly ruffling the back of his head.

“Thank you.”

Hansol wasn’t entirely sure what he was being thanked for, but he told Wonwoo it was no problem and they parted. Mikyung drove up the driveway as soon as Wonwoo was in the car.

Hansol rubbed his eyes with the balls of his hands, trying to get rid of his grogginess. When he opened his eyes again, Sunmi had moved to stand next to him.

“You seem tired, let’s get you inside.” She then turned to Seungcheol. “Your father will be in later; we’ll just get started without him.”

Hansol followed behind them into the large house and into the kitchen. Sunmi insisted that they both sit down and not worry about helping as she served them both, chattering away about things Seungcheol had missed out on around the town.

Seungcheol’s father – Dabin – came in from whatever he was doing outside and gave Seungcheol a hug that threatened to break his bones. He, too, looked to be in his sixties, and he smiled widely as he shook Hansol’s hand. He put a large hand on Sunmi’s shoulder and said he’d get his own dinner; she should rest her feet.

The four of them sat around the small wooden table tucked in the corner of the kitchen. The conversation lasted far longer than the food, as Hansol was asked about his family and his major and how he met Seungcheol. It was only when Sunmi caught him falling asleep with his head in his hand that she let them escape the conversation.

“Oh look at the poor thing, you’re exhausted!” Sunmi stood and picked up his plate. “Seungcheol, show him to your room, I set up a bed in there for him.”

Hansol scrambled to make up for his bad manners. “Let me help you with the dishes.”

Sunmi slapped his hand away from the leftover mac and cheese. “Don’t be silly, you need to sleep. Go on, the spare mattress is waiting for you upstairs.”

Hansol thanked her for dinner and followed Seungcheol upstairs and down the hall to his room. Seungcheol pointed out the living room and the bathroom on their way, but there were so many doors and Hansol was so tired that he forgot the information as soon as he heard it.

Seungcheol’s room was bigger than his own at his parents. It had faded posters of sports teams along one wall, one corner full of ribbons and certificates, and a cork board with photos of himself with Wonwoo and someone Hansol assumed was Hanbin pinned to it. In another corner was a single sized loft bed, like a smaller version of the one above The Shop. This one, however, had a desk underneath it with an ancient old computer screen collecting dust on top of it. The floorboards were bare and unpolished with a faded red carpet in the middle of the room. Alongside the loft bed was a mattress loaded with blankets and pillows.

“You love loft beds, don’t you?”

Seungcheol laughed as Hansol threw himself onto the mattress. “It used to be a bunk bed but Pops and I remodelled it when I was fifteen.”

“Were you always in the top bunk?”

“Yep.”

“Do you think it’s because you secretly want to be taller?”

Seungcheol fell down onto the mattress and started lightly hitting Hansol’s chest. “Shut up it’s not that.”

Hansol tried not to laugh too hard. “Then why do you like being up so high?”

Seungcheol started laughing as well, wrapping his arms around Hansol and sighing. “I like to feel tall.”

“Told you.”

“Shut up.”

If it had been Hansol’s dorm bed or Seungcheol’s loft bed at The Shop, they would have kissed, and Hansol could feel a kiss about to happen. But Seungcheol pulled away and unwound his arms from around Hansol’s shoulders. He got up off the mattress and cleared his throat.

“Door’s open.”

Hansol shrugged, getting up off the mattress and walking over to shut the door. Before Seungcheol could protest, he moved to stand in front of the corkboard, looking at the photos and their curling corners.

Seungcheol stood next to him as Hansol looked at a photo with Seungcheol, Wonwoo and the other boy sat on a hay bale. Hansol pointed at the boy.

“Is this Hanbin?”

“Yeah. That was his thirteenth birthday.”

The three of them had the same shaggy hair cut that was typical of the year, (2007 if Hansol had his maths right), and Hanbin has his arms around Seungcheol and Wonwoo’s shoulders. Hanbin was shorter than Seungcheol and skinnier than Wonwoo, with a smile that made Hansol mourn a boy he’d never met.

“Are there any more recent photos?”

“Yeah,” Seungcheol pointed to a photo a little higher up. It was the three of them in a school uniform with their graduation medals.

Their hair was better and Hanbin had grown taller but his smile was still the same. Hansol took a moment to look at all the other photos, and Hanbin was smiling in all of them; the same wide, happy smile. Hansol turned to Seungcheol.

“How are you feeling?”

Seungcheol was looking at the photos, eyes brimming. Hansol cupped his cheek with his hand and turned his face to look at him.

“Are you okay?”

Seungcheol swallowed wetly. “Tired.”

“So am I. We can look at photos tomorrow.”

Seungcheol nodded, leaning into his touch as Hansol swiped his cheek with his thumb. With a glance to check the door was closed, Hansol pressed their lips together for just a moment before pulling back and going to find his pyjamas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I have the rest of the fic more or less planned, which generally means it's getting towards the end when it's my writing lol. I'd say there's a few more chapters to come but I only really have two or three more plot points and then it'll be finished rip I don't want it to be over :(((


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some shit goes down at The Shop while the other's are away and Mingyu has to figure out (with the help of his sleepy bf) what to do

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning: drugs ment, language

Mingyu woke with a start, sitting bolt upright and feeling his sweat drenching the bed. His hair was damp and plastered to his forehead and the back of his neck, making him feel disgusting. He had taken to sleeping in nothing but briefs, but with The Shop to himself he had gone to bed completely naked – less things to wash. He didn’t know what his nightmare had been but it made his skin crawl.

He sat breathing heavily until he was shivering, only then getting up and removing the towels from where he had been lying. He’d given up on sheets and instead sandwiched himself between numerous towels to soak up the sweat. He bundled up the towels and took them to the laundry at the end of the hall opposite Seungcheol’s room, stuffing them in the washing machine and setting it going. He then got into the shower, as hot as he could bear, and scrubbed his skin near raw. This had become part of his daily routine and he didn’t even need to check the clock to know the time was 2:30am.

After getting out of the shower, he grabbed an armful of towels and went back into his room, his heart momentarily aching for Wonwoo. Pushing the feeling aside, he lay down the towels and got into bed, not bothering to dry himself off properly. Just as he was about to fall asleep he heard smashing glass.

His whole body froze. His first thought was that he had fallen asleep without realising and had had another night terror, but he wasn’t sweating and the alarm clock on his bedside table only read 2:47am.

He heard some shuffling underneath him; coming from The Shop. Then there were whispers. Mingyu’s heart beat hard in his chest as he fumbled for his phone and ran Wonwoo.

“Please, _please_ ,” Mingyu pleaded as he dialled a second time.

“Are you okay?” Wonwoo’s voice was thick with sleep.

“Oh thank _god_. There’s someone downstairs.” Mingyu blinked back tears.

“Wait, what?”

“I heard smashing glass downstairs in The Shop and there are people talking. I think we’re being robbed.”

“Fuck.” Wonwoo’s breathing was steady on the other end and was strangely calming to Mingyu. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fucking terrified,” Mingyu whisper-yelled. “What do I do?”

“Are you brave enough to go downstairs?”

“No.”

“Fuck. Don’t call the police.” He thought for a moment. “Try to get out onto the balcony.”

“Okay shit holy shit.”

Mingyu, as slowly as he could, peeled back the towels and got out of bed. He grabbed a dressing gown off the back of his bedroom door and tiptoed down the hallway, flat against the wall opposite the stairs. His heart was still beating wildly when he finally, _finally_ made it onto the balcony. He pushed the door to almost closed; not wanting to actually shut it for the noise.

“Okay I made it,” he said, wrapping his dressing gown tighter around his waist and sitting in one of the metal chairs.

“Good. How’s your breathing?”

“Pretty bad.”

“I’m going to count in threes try to time your breathing.”

Mingyu tried his best to time his breathing to Wonwoo’s counting, closing his eyes and feeling himself slowly ease up. When his muscles had almost completely relaxed, Wonwoo stopped counting. Before Mingyu could tell him to keep going, Wonwoo interrupted him.

“Wise men say only fools rush in,” his voice was a little shaky and Mingyu realised he was singing, “but I can’t help falling in love with you.”

Mingyu listened, smiling, as Wonwoo stumbled through the rest of the song. By the time he had finished, Mingyu had almost forgotten about the noises downstairs. After the last note, there was a pause.

“That was dumb sorry.”

“No, no it was nice,” Mingyu could hear the smile in his own voice. “You have a nice voice.”

Wonwoo scoffed. “Not really but thanks.”

“Well it worked; I feel a lot better.”

“Good.” There was a pause. “Do you know why that song?”

Mingyu frowned. “It’s a sappy old love song.”

“Yeah but,” Wonwoo cleared his throat, “it played in the end credits of that movie.”

It took a moment for Mingyu to realise which movie Wonwoo was talking about, but when he did – the one they saw on their blind date when they met – he felt a lump of emotion in his throat.

“You can pretend to be hard and scary all you want but you’re one of the softest people I’ve ever met.”

“Only for you.”

There was a moment when the two of them were silent, letting this settle in the air around them. Mingyu wanted so badly for Wonwoo to be with him.

“Are you going to go back to bed?” Mingyu started at Wonwoo’s voice.

“I don’t know, I can’t tell if they’re still downstairs and I’m too scared to check.” He scanned the balcony, eyes settling on the bench by the potted plant. “I might sleep out here.”

“Isn’t it cold?”

“Nah, I’ve got a dressing gown.” Mingyu looked down at his chest and laughed.

“What?”

“It’s yours.”

“That seems fair. I’m wearing your shirt. It doesn’t fit me.”

Mingyu chuckled as he moved from the chair to the bench, thankful that he had invested in outdoor cushions for it.

“Too long?”

“Yeah. I like it though. I feel safe.”

Mingyu lay down on his side, bending his knees in order to fit on the bench. “I wish you were here.”

“Do you want me to stay on the phone till you fall asleep?”

Mingyu let out a shaky sigh. “I would love that.”

“I love you.

“I love you too.”

 

When Mingyu woke up for the second time that morning, he could tell it was still early just from the feel of the air. The sun was peeking over a building and shining directly onto Mingyu’s face, making him flinch as soon as he opened his eyes.

His phone was dead, which meant that he and Wonwoo had fallen asleep at the same time. He sat up, disoriented for a sweet second before he remembered why he had slept on the balcony. After a few moments of listening, he decided it was safe to go inside, making his way into the kitchen. He plugged in his phone to charge and opened the fridge. He got out a bottle of milk and grabbed a box of cereal off the top of the fridge. He got out a bowl and a spoon, taking his time to really go through the motions.

He didn’t want to go downstairs without being on the phone with someone, so he opted to put it off further by watching some early morning TV. He kept the volume relatively low so it didn’t drown anything else out and watched some shitty kids shows while he ate his cereal.

After forty-five minutes his phone was charged enough for a phone call, so he turned off the TV and rinsed his bowl, still taking his time as he put it in the dishwasher.

He realised he was still wearing Wonwoo’s dressing gown and tiptoed down the hallway to his room to get changed. Once he was properly clothed and had brushed his teeth and watered the plant on the balcony, he figured he couldn’t put it off any longer and took his phone off the charger.

“You’re up early.”

“Yeah I’m about to go downstairs.”

Wonwoo groaned a little as he stretched. “Okay.”

“I just need you to be here in case something happens.”

“Okay.”

With a final deep breath, Mingyu opened the door at the top of the stairs and descended them.

“Holy shit.”

“What?”

“It’s all trashed. How didn’t I hear this?”

He picked his way around the shop, careful where he stepped. The books had been torn from the shelves and thrown across the room, stuffing had been pulled from chairs and soft toys, and around the corner the uglier decorations were smashed – all but the china cow.

“Wonwoo, everything’s broken.”

“Fuck.”

“ ‘Fuck’ indeed.” Mingyu went to the till which had been forced open and emptied. “They cleared the till.”

“Fuck, Mingyu check the back room.”

Mingyu could feel his heart in his throat as he looked to the door.

“I don’t need to look; the door’s off its hinges.”

“Please just check for me.”

Mingyu closed his eyes for a moment before stepping to the door and looking inside. The table had been flipped and the chairs were thrown into a corner. The weed plants were gone.

“They’re not here.”

“FUCK!” Mingyu flinched as Wonwoo yelled and punched something – a mattress or a pillow. “Fuck, fuck, _FUCK_!”

“Wonwoo, calm down please.”

“Are you sure all of them are gone?”

Mingyu stepped into the room. “I’m sure.”

“Fuck. I’d had one of them for five years. That was my baby.”

“I know, Wonwoo. Shit I feel so stupid.”

“You couldn’t have done anything. Fuck. Okay. You need to call the police.”

“What? I thought you said I couldn’t.”

“I said that last night because I didn’t know they took my fucking weed. But now there’s no weed so we can at least get insurance or something.”

Mingyu blinked. “Good point. Should I do that now?”

Wonwoo sighed. “Yeah, I can’t go back to sleep now. I’ll talk to Eomeoni and try to come home early. Don’t tell the others. Seungcheol has enough on his plate right now.”

Mingyu didn’t know what was going on with Seungcheol but he didn’t want to pry. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fucking angry but I’ll survive. Thanks for looking after things. Sorry I can’t be more help.”

“It’s okay, there’s not much you can do. Thanks for being there last night.”

“That’s okay. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

 

The police came at two in the afternoon and left an hour later. They took photos of the damage, asked who had access to The Shop, what they might be after (the cash, Mingyu said), if they had any security cameras.

The insurance company arrived fifteen minutes after the police left. They took photos of the damage, asked who had access to The Shop, who was in the building at the time, what security measures they had in place. They left a few forms for Mingyu to fill out and were on their way by half past three.

Mingyu cooked himself an early dinner at five and was in bed by six. He didn’t have any night terrors.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seungcheol and Hansol visit Hanbin's grave which leads to a Lot happening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warnings:  
> -language  
> -death  
> -suicide ment (not taken seriously tho)  
> -alcohol/weed

Hansol woke up to the sound of Seungcheol laughing above him. He was shirtless and leaning over the edge of the bed, eyes crescents and cheeks flushed. His fringe was falling away from his face.

Hansol groaned and stretched his arms out. “What are you laughing at?”

Seungcheol pushed his fringe back, only for it to fall down again. “You were sleep talking.”

Hansol hummed as he pulled the duvet up to tuck under his chin. “What was I saying?”

“It was the china cow again.”

“Figures. Did you know it’s a creamer?”

Seungcheol disappeared back onto his bed before climbing down the ladder and going to the chest of drawers to fish out a shirt. “Even weirder.”

“That’s what I said.”

Seungcheol pulled the shirt down to cover his hips and glanced at the door. Hansol watched him cross the room and shut the door before excitedly half running to get on the mattress with Hansol. He nuzzled Hansol like a cat wanting to be fed, and Hansol put an arm around his shoulders, spreading the duvet over him. Seungcheol clung to his side; head on his chest and an arm across his torso.

“Ma and Pops are at the farmer’s market.”

Hansol chuckled. “That’s cute.”

“They’re cute. You know, even though I’m terrified of them ever finding out I’m gay, I still love them.”

“I think you’re allowed to. I mean some people don’t come out to their parents at all, and some people spend years battling them and it’s alright in the end. Not every parent is like Mikyung.”

“My parents are in their sixties.”

“I guessed that.”

“And I’m only twenty-three.”

“I know.”

Seungcheol held his breath for a moment. “You know I’m one of thirteen?”

Hansol frowned at this. “Thirteen what?”

“Kids. My parents had eleven other pregnancies.”

“Eleven?”

“I ate my twin in the womb.”

“Oh.” Hansol didn’t know if it was funny or not.

“I can feel you trying not to laugh, you are allowed to it is kinda funny.”

“Does that actually happen?”

“I mean technically I absorbed it but whatever, that’s not the point,” he let out a long sigh. “My parents were trying to have kids for so long and they had almost given up but then they had me. I’m their miracle baby. I don’t wanna disappoint them.”

Hansol thought about this for a moment. “Maybe you should try to ease them into it? Like start introducing them to the idea of it before you actually come out to them.”

“I don’t know. I’m kinda hoping I can just get away with never telling them.”

Hansol bit his lip. “You’ve gotten away with it thus far; I don’t see why you wouldn’t be able to keep it under wraps.”

Seungcheol rubbed his cheek against Hansol’s chest. “It’s hard hiding it.”

Hansol kissed the top of his head. “I can imagine.”

“I don’t know what to do. I hate hiding it and I’m always tired but I’m so _so_ scared of what would happen if they knew.”

“That’s a lot for one person to carry.”

“Don’t tell me not to worry about it.”

“I wasn’t going to.”

“Good.” He kissed Hansol’s shoulder and threw back the covers. “Breakfast?”

“Sounds good.”

 

* * *

 

Hanbin was buried in a graveyard on top of a very big hill and Hansol hated his parents for it. He had a backpack full of tissues and water bottles plus a bar of chocolate they’d bought at the village – that’s right, _village_ – shop in case they needed a pick me up. Hansol was tempted to eat the chocolate and he was only halfway up the hill.

Seungcheol was powering on a few metres ahead of him, giving Hansol a good view but not making him any happier about the stitch that was stabbing his stomach. He gritted his teeth and focused on where he was putting his feet, trying to focus on that rather than how much further he had to go.

After a while of walking Seungcheol put his arm out in front of him, like a mother protecting her child after a hard brake.

The graveyard was enclosed by a dilapidated picket fence that was once white but had turned a greyish brown after years of rain. There was a cobble stone path leading through the tall grass and around the graves, the tops of which poked out of a sea of green. Before Hansol had a chance to ask, Seungcheol was answering his question.

“No one likes to stand on the graves. They do a bit of weeding around the path but that’s it.” His voice was as weathered as the fence. “Hanbin’s at the back.”

When he made no effort to move, Hansol held Seungcheol’s fingers lightly. “Do you need a moment?”

Seungcheol took a deep breath then turned to Hansol. “Can I go in alone?”

Hansol squeezed his fingers and gave him a small smile. “Of course you can. Here.” He took one strap off his shoulder and swung the bag around to his front, unzipping it and pulling a packet of tissues and a water bottle out, then handing them to Seungcheol. “I’ll be here if you need me.”

“Thanks,” his whisper was completely voiceless.

As Seungcheol was enveloped by the grass, Hansol thought about following around the fence to where Hanbin’s grave was, but decided against it. Seungcheol had wanted to go in alone, and walking closer to him didn’t feel like letting him do that. Instead, he found a spot on the ground outside the graveyard that didn’t seem too dirty and sat down cross legged. He took out the second water bottle and took a swig, pausing mid-gulp as he heard Seungcheol’s voice.

“Hi.” His voice was hushed and raw, and something about it suggested to Hansol that Seungcheol didn’t think he could hear him.

Hansol quickly scrambled for his headphones to block out what was being said, but when he came up empty he remembered leaving them on the desk under Seungcheol’s loft bed. Biting his lip and feeling guiltier than he ever had in his life, he tuned back into what Seungcheol was saying.

“-he’s a good kid, you would’ve got along. Anyway, I didn’t wanna bring him in here at first, figured it’d be weird.” Hansol realised Seungcheol was talking about him and his guilt increased. “It was his idea to come see you, actually. I’d been thinking about it, honestly, but he gave me the final push I guess.” There was a long pause and Hansol was about to stand and check on him when Seungcheol started again. “He says it’s not my fault. Which I get, because no one saw this coming, but god I feel so guilty. And I hate myself for moving on and I’m so sorry, Hanbin.” He deteriorated into gasping sobs. “I’m so sorry for this. I’m sorry that I love him.”

Hansol didn’t think he had been this sad for someone before.

When Seungcheol recovered, his voice was still scratchy but was more even. “I miss you all the time. If I’m honest with myself I still – I’m still in love with you,” Hansol pushed the hurt aside, “and I think I always will be. I didn’t think I would ever feel that way about anyone else, and I _do_ feel guilty and like I’m cheating on you.” He huffed a small laugh. “But I like to think you love Hansol just as much as I do.”

A thousand questions and emotions swirled in Hansol’s chest, making him feel like he was about to burst.

“I’m so sorry I got you killed. Because no matter what Hansol says I’ll always feel like it was me who shot you. It might as well have been. I still love you so much. I miss you every day and it hurts like hell and I’m angry at you and at myself and I want to die a lot of the time. It’d be easier if I wasn’t around to get people killed, you know?”

Hansol clamped a hand over his mouth to muffle his own crying.

“But you don’t want that, and in reality I’m terrified of death. I couldn’t do that to Wonwoo or Hansol or Mingyu.” A sound like Seungcheol’s hand against his thigh startled Hansol. “You don’t know about Mingyu! Wonwoo found himself a boyfriend, if you can believe. The kid changes his hair as often as the weather but he’s great. So much has changed, Hanbin. The business is bigger thanks to Mingyu, and he lives with me and Wonwoo above our Shop – that’s where we sell now. And then there’s Hansol.”

When Seungcheol called for Hansol to join him, Hansol had to take a moment to wipe at his cheeks before picking his way down the path. Seungcheol was sitting at the foot of a grave near the back like he said, his eyes puffy and face wet. He stretched out an arm and gestured for Hansol to sit with him, which he did. Seungcheol looped an arm around his shoulders.

“Sorry if this is weird for you,” he said, and Hansol smiled at him to let him know it wasn’t. Seungcheol turned back to the headstone. “Hanbin, this is Hansol. He’s an English major too, but he’s a couple years younger than us. Than me.” He took in a shaky breath. “Anyway, he has chocolate and I’d really like some actually.”

Hansol laughed, slinging the bag off his back and putting it in his lap, rummaging around for the bar of chocolate.

As he broke off a piece, Seungcheol kept talking to Hanbin. “Not sure why chocolate, but whatever.”

Hansol passed Seungcheol a few blocks. “Like in Harry Potter; they eat chocolate after the dementors attack them. Produces endorphins or something.”

Seungcheol shrugged. “Never read it.”

Hansol looked at him in shock, chocolate halfway to his mouth. “Those books are the most significant books in modern literature. _Everyone_ has read Harry Potter.”

“Not me.”

“How am I dating you?”

Seungcheol laughed, holding out his hand for more chocolate. “Hanbin made me watch the movies once but I never got into the books.”

Hansol smiled, looking at the headstone. “He understands the chocolate then.”

 

* * *

 

They had stayed sitting at the foot of Hanbin’s grave for a few hours, talking to each other and to Hanbin. Hansol found it was strangely easy talking to a dead person, and by the time they were fixing the latch on the gate Hansol felt like he had always known Hanbin.

Seungcheol wept the whole way back to his house, where Sunmi had made a roast chicken for dinner. She gathered Seungcheol into her arms as he stepped across the threshold and hummed to him as he sobbed into her chest. Hansol stood in the doorway awkwardly until Dabin thudded in. He shut the front door, placing a large hand on Seungcheol’s back for a moment before gesturing for Hansol to follow him into the kitchen.

Hansol sat at the table as Dabin set to making some tea, joining him with two mugs once he was finished.

Dabin let out a long sigh after a mouthful of tea. “Sunmi said you went to see Hanbin.” Hansol nodded. “Those two really loved each other, you know?”

Hansol felt his palms getting sweaty. “They were close.”

Dabin raised an eyebrow at him. They drank their tea in silence until Sunmi joined them and collapsed into a chair.

“He’s going to shower.” Dabin offered a hand to her and she took it, her callused hands much smaller than his. “We should get some money together for a bench. He can’t bottle it up between visits home; he needs somewhere closer.”

Hansol sat up a little. “I’d be happy to help.”

Sunmi smiled warmly at him. “You don’t have to honey.”

“No, but I want to. Seungcheol’s my friend and I want him to be at least healthy.”

Sunmi and Dabin shared a look that Hansol couldn’t quite read. Dabin was the first to speak again.

“You could help us find a park to put it in.”

“I’d be more than happy to.”

Hansol helped Dabin peel potatoes and later followed Sunmi’s instructions to make the gravy. Seungcheol appeared in the doorway just as Hansol was about to voice his opinions on _The Picture of Dorian Gray_.

“Hey, how are you feeling?” Hansol dried his hands on a tea towel and moved closer to the door.

“Can I talk to you about something?” Seungcheol’s voice was small.

“Make it quick, chicky; dinner’s almost ready.” Sunmi said over her shoulder.

Seungcheol nodded before turning around and leading the way to his room. He shut the door behind them and leant his back against it, eyes almost vacant.

“I’m going to come out to them.”

Hansol was taken aback. “What, now?”

Seungcheol nodded. “At dinner.”

Hansol stepped forward so that he was in front of Seungcheol and placed a hand on his cheek. Seungcheol’s eyes fluttered shut at the touch. Hansol pressed his lips to Seungcheol, keeping them still and holding the kiss for a moment before pulling back a millimetre.

“Okay.”

Seungcheol nodded a tiny bit, and they moved away from the door to go back downstairs. The table was already set when they entered the kitchen and Hansol helped Sunmi pour drinks for everyone as Dabin and Seungcheol sat down. Dabin squeezed Seungcheol’s shoulder.

Hansol felt like he was holding his breath the whole meal waiting for Seungcheol to do it. He found that he wasn’t really expecting Seungcheol to go through with it, that it would take a few attempts, but the anticipation was killing him.

Halfway through dinner, Sunmi made to reach for the pepper near where Seungcheol was sitting.

“Chicky, could you please pass me the pepper?”

“I’m gay.”

Hansol fumbled with his fork and Dabin choked on his drink a little. Sunmi stayed frozen with her hand outreached for the pepper. The silence that followed Seungcheol’s confession was deafening.

Finally, Dabin let out a sigh, taking Sunmi’s hand in his and guiding it back to the rest of her body. “We know.”

Sunmi came out of her stupor. “I don’t. I didn’t think you’d ever actually come out to us.”

Seungcheol looked dumbfounded. “What?”

Dabin stroked a thumb over Sunmi’s knuckles as she started to cry. “We’ve known for years now, son.”

Seungcheol started to tear up. “How?”

Sunmi stood up and went to hug Seungcheol. “I’m so proud of you, chicky. I’m so so proud.”

“But how did you know?”

Sunmi scoffed against her son’s hair. “You and Hanbin were so close. There’s no way you looked at each other like that without being in love.”

“Plus your reactions to Wonwoo being gay were,” Dabin searched for a word, “underwhelming.”

Sunmi kissed the top of Seungcheol’s head more times than Hansol could count. “Well done for telling us, I’m so proud of you.”

Seungcheol shifted in his chair so that Sunmi could perch on the corner of it. “Why didn’t you ever say anything?”

“We wanted you to do it on your own, in your own time and on your own terms.” Dabin picked up the pepper and ground some on Sunmi’s food. “We didn’t want to pressure you.”

Seungcheol suddenly let out a great sob, and once again buried his face in Sunmi’s chest, the two of them crying together. Dabin stood up and knelt by the chair, winding his arms around the two of them and holding them together. Hansol felt awkwardly out of place for the umpteenth time since his arrival and thought about clearing the table but made no move to do so.

After five or so minutes, Seungcheol’s parents returned to their seats, all three of them tear stained. Seungcheol cleared his throat.

“So Hansol is my boyfriend.”

Dabin laughed. “We figured.”

The silence that followed was only broken when Hansol started clearing the table.

“Why don’t you guys care? I thought you would be angry or send me to conversion therapy or something.”

“Oh, no we would never,” Sunmi pulled her chair closer to Seungcheol so she could hold his hand.

Dabin sighed. “Mikyung is a bitch and she had no right doing that to Wonwoo. I’ve never liked that woman.”

“Dabin, language,” Sunmi hissed at him, then turned back to Seungcheol. “You’re our son and we love you; nothing can change that. We will _always_ love you, Seungcheol.”

“Just because we grew up here with the same people as Mikyung doesn’t mean we’re all carbon prints of each other. We would never put you in harm’s way and we would never make you feel like you’re worth anything less than you are.”

“I love you so much.”

Dabin ruffled his hair. “We love you too.”

 

* * *

 

Just in time for Hansol to pull up his pyjama pants, there was a knock at the door. Seungcheol was already in bed and called down that it was safe to come in.

Sunmi was wearing a light blue dressing gown and softly padded into the room, standing next to the mattress on the floor.

“Can’t Hansol sleep in your bed with you?” She craned her head to look up at Seungcheol.

Seungcheol flipped over onto his stomach, propping himself up on his elbows. “What?”

“Well it doesn’t seem fair that your boyfriend should have to sleep on the floor.” Seungcheol stared down at her. “Oh, don’t give me that look Seungcheol. I’m not a prude, you can share a bed with your own boyfriend.”

“Thank you?”

“You’re welcome.” She stood on her tiptoes and Seungcheol leaned down to kiss her cheek. “Goodnight chicky, sleep well.”

“Night Ma.”

She rubbed Hansol’s upper arm as she passed him on her way out. “Night honey.”

“Goodnight Sunmi.”

Before she shut the door, she looked back up to Seungcheol.

“Chicky?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

“I love you too, Ma.”

Hansol listened to the soft click of the door closing followed by Sunmi’s footsteps as she went down the hall to her own room. He turned to look at Seungcheol.

“Can I fit up there?”

Seungcheol shrugged, shuffling over and pulling back the covers. “Only one way to find out.”

Hansol laughed, turning off the light and climbing the ladder to the loft bed. Seungcheol threw the duvet over him and pulled him into his chest, the two of them taking a moment to get comfortable. They ended up with Seungcheol on his back and Hansol using his chest as a pillow.

“I’m glad it went well tonight.”

Seungcheol let out a sigh. “So am I. I really thought I was going to have to wait for them to die before I got married.”

Hansol chuckled, kissing Seungcheol’s chest. “I love you.”

Seungcheol kissed the top of his head. “I love you too.”

 

* * *

 

Their second to last day in Seungcheol and Wonwoo’s home town was spent in the smallest barn on Seungcheol’s property. Hansol and Seungcheol got there half an hour before Wonwoo was due to meet them so that Seungcheol could show him around.

The barn was still pretty big and was two stories. The second level had a hole in the centre and wrapped around the wall. Some large chains hung from the ceiling and piled in the middle of the floor. Seungcheol pointed up to a corner on the second floor.

“That’s where I lost my virginity.”

“In a barn?”

Seungcheol shrugged. “I didn’t know my parents were chill.”

“Wasn’t it uncomfortable?”

Seungcheol laughed, framing Hansol’s face with his hands. “I was pulling hay out of my pants for a week.”

Wonwoo joined them earlier than expected, bearing gifts of alcohol, weed and snacks. After some debate, and much to Seungcheol’s disdain, Hansol managed to get a drag before nursing bottles of soju for the rest of the day.

Wonwoo went through about five joints on his own and ended up laying on a couple of hay bales, humming and musing to the air above him. Seungcheol slung an arm around Hansol’s shoulders, his eyes red. His breath smelled of beer but Hansol didn’t mind.

“He says wild shit when he’s high.”

Hansol was pretty drunk himself. He could tell by the way he wanted Seungcheol more than usual and also because everything happened a second too late.

“Okay so I miss Hanbin,” Wonwoo started, “we all do. But Hansol, you really are great. I’d take a bullet for you, man. I’d give my fucking life to protect you.”

“Thanks?” Hansol was suddenly uncomfortable from the attention and the change in Wonwoo’s demeanour.

“I’m not joking. Shit I wish Mingyu was here.” He turned his head against the hay to look at Seungcheol. “Any chance of getting some?”

Seungcheol laughed, pulling Hansol closer. “No more than any other time.”

“Figured. Hansol?”

Hansol choked on his own spit. “What?”

“Wanna get laid?”

Seungcheol stepped in. “Leave him alone, he’s just a kid.”

“Whatever. Pretty sure I have whiskey dick anyway.”

“You always have whiskey dick.”

“Fuck you, Choi.”

“You wish, Jeon.”

Wonwoo grimaced. “Don’t make that joke. I’m going to sleep.”

Hansol was amazed by the short time it took for Wonwoo to fall asleep. He turned to Seungcheol.

“Where are we sleeping?”

Seungcheol stood, wobbled, then staggered over to a tarpaulin near the large barn door. Clearly trying to make a show of it, he whisked the tarpaulin away to reveal an old mattress underneath it. Given any other circumstances, Hansol would’ve complained, but seeing as he was drunk and exhausted he simply stumbled over and collapsed onto it. Hansol’s head found Seungcheol’s chest and their breathing quickly fell in sync.

“I’m sorry we haven’t had sex yet.” He stopped Seungcheol before he could respond. “Doesn’t mean I want to right now.”

Seungcheol whined softly. “Why not?”

Hansol snorted; Seungcheol was clearly more drunk than him. “Firstly, Wonwoo is sleeping not three metres away from us. Second, this is the same room you and Hanbin had sex in which makes me feel weird thinking about having sex in it too. Third, I’m tired.”

Seungcheol hummed. “Fair enough.”

“I’m still sorry though.”

“For what?”

Hansol rolled his eyes. “For us having not had sex yet.”

Seungcheol smiled, then shushed Hansol. “There’s no pressure.” He let out a yawn. “Talk about it later. Love you.”

Hansol smiled as Seungcheol kissed the top of his head. “Love you too.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sunmi: can u pass the pepper  
> Seungcheol: no i'm gay
> 
> fadjghsfjs this took SO LONG to write and is also the longest chapter yet bc there was so much i wanted to fit into it good lordt. thanks for u patience idk when the next chapter will be out latas


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seungcheol, Hansol and Wonwoo return to The Shop and Mingyu is over the moon to see them again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warnings:  
> -swearing

Mingyu decided to wait for the others at the train station, walking the two kilometres rather than driving their shared car. In their absence, he had grown paranoid and impatient, barely trusting himself to be alone.

He had busied himself cleaning up what he could of the mess in The Shop, but some of it had to be left for the insurance people to take photos of. He cleaned the apartment every day despite there being no mess after the first day. In the end, he had gone to the supermarket and bought five kilograms of flour, two kilograms of sugar and five pounds of butter so he could make scones.

He arrived at the station ten minutes before the others were due, so he found a liquor store and bought a case of beer and two champagne bottles. He winced as the cashier read out the cost, but put his card through anyway. He found a seat in the station and sat down, putting the case of beer next to him on the bench. He alternated between watching the large clock and the top of the escalators.

When he finally saw Wonwoo emerge, Mingyu’s heart swelled up in his chest and he ran to his boyfriend, wrapping his arms around his neck and burying his face in his shoulder. He didn’t care who was watching them; not when Wonwoo’s arms were around his waist with his mouth by his ear, telling him how much he missed him.

When they broke the hug, Wonwoo framed Mingyu’s face with his hands and kissed him. Mingyu’s hands were planted firmly on his chest, and he could feel Wonwoo’s heartbeat beneath his fingertips. They were interrupted by Seungcheol beside them.

“Can we please get home? I’m exhausted.”

Mingyu laughed, breaking away from Wonwoo to hug the others. “I missed you too.”

“Did you drive?”

Mingyu returned to Wonwoo’s side, wrapping his arms around his shoulders as Wonwoo slung an arm around his waist. “Nope, walked.”

Seungcheol’s face dropped. “Are we going to have to walk all the way home?”

Mingyu laughed. “We can get the bus, calm down.”

Hansol laughed and rubbed Seungcheol’s back. “It’s okay, you’ll survive.”

Despite Seungcheol’s protests, they did survive the bus ride. Mingyu sat with the alcohol in his lap as Wonwoo held his hand tightly. Seungcheol and Hansol sat in the seat in front of them, both falling asleep almost immediately after sitting down.

“Aren’t you tired?” Mingyu asked, turning to Wonwoo.

The corner of Wonwoo’s mouth curled up as he looked straight ahead, his glasses slowly slipping down the bridge of his nose. “I missed you too much to fall asleep.”

Mingyu felt a bubble of happiness so big in his chest that he couldn’t help but laugh. He kissed Wonwoo’s temple, squeezing his hand.

“You’re a big softy.”

Wonwoo grimaced, but was soon smiling again as he looked at Mingyu out of the corner of his eye. He leaned over so he could lower his voice but still let Mingyu hear him. “Don’t tell Seungcheol, he still thinks I beat people up for him.”

Mingyu laughed again, shifting around to rest his head on Wonwoo’s shoulder. “I missed you a lot.”

“I missed you, too. It was weird being back home.”

“It was weird being in The Shop without anyone else there. Really weird not sharing a bed with you.”

Wonwoo made a sound somewhere between a hum and a grunt. “How are you sleeping?”

Mingyu sighed. “Terribly. The first night after the break in was fine but after that it got worse. I’ve kept the spare mattress in our room.”

“Why?”

“Sharing a bed with someone who has night terrors is unpleasant. I’ll be sweaty and disgusting and if you wake me up I might hurt you, which I don’t want to happen.”

“Is there anything I can do?”

“Only after I wake up, which is just comforting stuff. I usually get up and wash the towels and have a shower and it only happens once a night, so I might get into bed with you after.” He paused for a moment. “Only if you’re still there, though.”

Wonwoo rubbed the back of Mingyu’s hand with his thumb. “Of course I’ll still be there.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

* * *

 

They all stood silently outside of The Shop. The closed sign was crooked in the window and the lights were turned off inside.

“I’ve tried to clean it up a little, but the police said I couldn’t touch too much of it.”

When the others made no move, Mingyu sighed and took the key from Seungcheol, stepping forward and fumbling with it in the lock. He opened the door and stepped aside, letting them go in first.

They were quiet as they roamed around The Shop. Mingyu sat on the stairs and watched them as they moved around and slowly took everything in. Seungcheol crouched down by the books, fingers delicately tracing their spines as they lay sprawled on the floor. Wonwoo lifted a sheet of newspaper to reveal the shattered glass beneath it. Hansol stood in the centre of The Shop, looking completely lost until his eyes caught on something.

Mingyu stood and followed Hansol around to the back corner, where all the ugly china cats were smashed on the floor. Standing alone on the shelf was the china cow, completely unmoved despite the carnage surrounding it. Mingyu felt Seungcheol and Wonwoo at his sides as Hansol put a finger on the tail that doubled as a handle and pushed it off the shelf. All four of them watched as it fell to the ground and bounced off a patch of carpet, landing upright and completely intact.

There was a moment of silence and Hansol dropped to the floor, holding his head in his hands. Seungcheol crouched down next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder as Wonwoo reached for Mingyu’s hand. They linked pinkies and Wonwoo squeezed his for a moment.

“When can we start the clean up?” Seungcheol asked, still staring at the cow.

“Whenever the insurance company decides how much they’ll pay us in damages.” Mingyu let out a long sigh. “I’ve already done everything we’re allowed to.”

Seungcheol stood up suddenly. “I need a beer.”

He ascended the stairs with heavy footsteps, leaving the rest of them in The Shop. Hansol sniffed as he still sat on the floor. Mingyu gave Wonwoo’s pinkie a final squeeze before crouching down in front of Hansol.

“You can go home if you want, you don’t have to stick around if it’s too much.”

Hansol lifted his head, wiping under his eye with the back of his hand. “No it’s fine, I just,” he looked past Mingyu “really fucking hate that thing and it’s the only thing that isn’t broken.”

There was a beat before the three of them started laughing. At first it was timid and hesitant, but soon they were all on the floor, clutching their stomachs and trying not to roll into the smashed china. They were interrupted by Seungcheol calling down the stairs to them.

“I ordered pizza, are you guys gonna come up or stay lying in the shit?”

Eyes blood shot and wiping away a tear, Hansol called back to him. “Coming baby.”

Wonwoo groaned as he stood. “You call each other ‘baby’? That’s Disgusting.”

Mingyu laughed as Wonwoo helped him up from the floor. “I think it’s cute, baby.”

Wonwoo rolled his eyes, but Mingyu just laughed again, throwing his arms around Wonwoo’s neck and kissing him. Hansol grumbled beside them as he stood up and followed Seungcheol’s voice upstairs. Mingyu laughed into the kiss and pressed his forehead to Wonwoo’s. The rim of his glasses tickled Mingyu’s eyebrows and his eyes were creased at the corners.

“If you guys are gonna have sex,” they turned to see Seungcheol leaning out of the stair case, holding onto the rail for support, “can you at least do it in your bedroom?”

* * *

 

The kitchen was largely taken up by scones. Both bench tops and the stools, the outside table and benches and even the coffee table was full of trays of scones. Seungcheol and Mingyu cleared the ones from the coffee table to make room for the pizza.

“Why scones?”

Mingyu shrugged. “They’re comforting.”

Seungcheol shook his head as Wonwoo and Hansol came in with arms full of pizza boxes.

The four of them drank beer and ate pizza while sitting on the old worn down couch and watching a David Attenborough documentary. Wonwoo was sitting in the corner of the couch, one arm propped up along the back of it as Mingyu nestled himself into Wonwoo’s side. He had tucked his knees up, one hand under his cheek on Wonwoo’s chest. Seungcheol was in the opposite corner, Hansol sitting on the floor between his legs as Seungcheol played with his hair. He had an arm wrapped around one of Seungcheol’s legs, cheek resting on his knee as his eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

When the advertisements came on, Seungcheol took a hand out of Hansol’s hair to mute the TV.

“Have you told your cousin about what happened?”

“Hm? Sejoon?” Mingyu furrowed his brows and thought for a moment. “Not yet, why?”

“Well it must be something to do with the Lees if the only thing they actually _took_ was the weed and the money.”

Mingyu blinked a few times, his mind clouded with sleep. “Good point, what’s the time?”

Wonwoo’s voice rumbled through his chest. “10:30.”

“Shit, I’ll have to call him tomorrow then.” Mingyu stifled a yawn.

Hansol let out a soft snore, then snorting and sitting up abruptly. He looked around, disoriented as he wiped some drool from the corner of his mouth. “What did I miss?”

Seungcheol chuckled lightly, soothing Hansol’s hair back. “Nothing, babe, don’t worry.”

Hansol smacked his lips lightly and rested his chin on Seungcheol’s knee, his eyes already starting to close again.

“Do you wanna stay the night here?” Seungcheol was smiling fondly as Hansol hummed and nodded.

The four of them were startled by the sound of breaking glass from downstairs. Hansol was suddenly wide awake as they all froze, listening for anything else. There was another loud crash of glass followed by something heavy landing in The Shop with a thud.

Seungcheol stood up first, running to the get fire extinguisher from under the sink, dislodging a tray of scones in his rush. When Mingyu realised what was happening, his entire body went numb, Wonwoo leaping up from the couch and following Seungcheol down the hall. Hansol seemed to be frozen as well as the two of them stared at the door way. There was the sound of the extinguisher being set off and stomping as Seungcheol and Wonwoo swore.

When the noise downstairs settled, Mingyu and Hansol slowly came out of their stupors and made their way down to The Shop. Wonwoo and Seungcheol were panting heavily, standing over a brick that was in the centre of the room. The brick and surrounding carpet was covered in foam from the fire extinguisher, but the carpet was still smoking and there was a distinct burning smell in the air. The large front window had a large hole in it, with cracks running all the way to the putty holding it in place.

Mingyu walked to the door, whipping it open and sticking his head out into the street. It was chilly and dark and he couldn’t see anyone outside.

“Hello?” He projected his voice, earning a bark from a dog across the street and hisses through teeth from Seungcheol and Wonwoo.

He withdrew his head and shut the door, turning back to the others. Wonwoo’s face was blank save a slight frown, Seungcheol looked furious and Hansol looked lost. Seungcheol stomped over to Mingyu, gripping the front of his shirt and pointing a finger in his face.

“Don’t pull that shit you fucking idiot!” Though Seungcheol was considerably shorter, he still managed to make Mingyu feel small. “What if they were still out there? Dumb fucking kid.”

He let go of Mingyu’s shirt with a shove, then storming off upstairs again. Wonwoo was the first to start after him, leaving Mingyu and Hansol to follow again.

“What are you doing?” Wonwoo’s voice wasn’t angry, but it was loud and deep.

“We can’t fucking stay here.” When they got to Seungcheol’s room he was shoving things back in his bag, only halfway unpacked. “It’s too dangerous.”

“Where are we going to go?” Wonwoo was standing by the head of Seungcheol’s bed, arms folded across his chest.

“I’m going to stay in Hansol’s dorm with him and you two are going to get a room at the motel across from campus.” Seungcheol’s hands were shaking. “I’ll help pay.”

Wonwoo stayed silent for a moment before nodding and lowering his arms. “Okay.” He walked past Hansol and Mingyu in the door, heading into their shared room.

Mingyu went after him, quietly sitting on the edge of the freshly made bed as Wonwoo packed him a bag. Wonwoo looked over his shoulder at Mingyu, pausing for a moment before putting a handful of clean underwear in the backpack in his hand.

“Are you okay?”

Mingyu shrugged. “I’m very overwhelmed and very scared.”

Wonwoo regarded his book case. “Because of everything or because of Seungcheol?”

“Both.”

Wonwoo pulled a book out and put it in the bag as well. “I don’t know about everything, but don’t worry about Seungcheol. He was just worried about you.”

“I don’t know why I did it.”

Wonwoo zipped up the bag and sat next to Mingyu on the bed. He held out his hand and Mingyu gripped it tightly in his own.

“It was dumb and you shouldn’t have done it. But you’re okay and that’s what’s important.”

“I love you.”

Wonwoo kissed the corner of his jaw. “I love you too.”

Mingyu sat on the bed as the others finished packing overnight bags, only standing when he was called for. Wonwoo drove them, first to the dorms to drop off Seungcheol and Hansol and then to the motel across the road. The room was small with two single beds and an overhanging smell of mildew. Mingyu still felt numb, so he let Wonwoo sit him on the couch as he stripped one of the beds. He opened the linen cupboard and pulled out some towels, laying them down on the bare mattress before going back to sit on the couch as well.

They watched some cable TV for about half an hour before they got into their separate beds. When Mingyu woke with a start at half past two in the morning, Wonwoo was sitting on the floor next to his bed, looking up at him in the dark. Mingyu held a hand up to tell Wonwoo to wait as he tried to even out his breathing. When he was shivering, he swallowed dryly and opened his mouth, but before he could speak Wonwoo was handing him a glass of water.

“You need to rehydrate.” His voice was the only certain thing in the liminal half-light.

Mingyu took the water, his fingers fogging up the glass. He gulped it down quickly, handing the glass back to Wonwoo as he peeled the towel from his body. Wonwoo followed him to the bathroom, getting another towel for him as Mingyu turned on the shower. He almost forgot to take off his boxers before getting in the shower, letting himself be drenched by the hot water. All while he scrubbed angry, red circles into his skin, Wonwoo waited for him, sitting on the toilet with a fresh towel on his lap. Mingyu turned off the water and allowed himself to drip dry for a moment as Wonwoo stood and held the towel open for him. Wonwoo wrapped the towel around his shaking body as he stepped out of the shower, then patting Mingyu dry.

Mingyu let Wonwoo guide him back into the room, wrapping the towel around his shoulders as he got out a pair of clean boxers. Mingyu stepped into them and watched Wonwoo pull them up his legs and over his waist. He took the towel from Mingyu and put an arm around him, steering him to his own bed. Too tired to protest, Mingyu lay down, Wonwoo climbing over him to lie down between Mingyu and the wall, his chest to Mingyu’s back. He tucked the duvet around the both of them and wrapped his arms around Mingyu’s waist, pressing a kiss to his shoulder.

Mingyu turned his head to meet Wonwoo’s eyes as his own welled up.

“Thank you.” His voice broke a little and Wonwoo smiled, ghosting his lips over Mingyu’s cheek bone.

“Try to get some more sleep. You’re safe here.”

Mingyu lay his head back on the pillow, feeling more grateful than he had ever before to be in Wonwoo’s arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY IT'S BEEN SO LONG SKJDFHGDS there's been A Lot going on at home in terms of major flooding and aside from that I was in a rut for this one but !! I have more juice in me now so hopefully I'll be able to update it again sooner rather than later.  
> I'm going to TRY to stretch this out to novel length (45k words) but no promises lol   
> If you have any questions about my writing or want to see other things I'm working on hmu on @[subjisoo](http://subjisoo.tumblr.com/)


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hansol is just out here trying not to fall apart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is lowkey a filler chapter jfkhgsf I'm sorry I know it's been ten years but the next development needs to be in Mingyu's pov and I wanted to hit 30k so I shat this out lmao hopefully the next chapter will come a lot sooner

Hansol couldn’t feel his fingers, but even so they were shaking like mad. The previous night had shaken him to his core, and he woke up tangled in the sheets and Seungcheol, coughing violently. Seungcheol slowly woke up, eyes going wide as he saw Hansol grabbing his own throat as it still felt full of smoke.

Seungcheol started hitting Hansol’s back, but he pushed him off, holding a hand out in gesture for him to wait.

Hansol’s throat eventually soothed and he took great gulps of air as Seungcheol stroked his back.

“Sorry,” he spluttered, “bad dream.”

Seungcheol’s brows furrowed. “Was there fire?”

Hansol nodded and Seungcheol pulled him into a hug, his chin resting on Hansol’s shoulder. There was a soft, blue glow from behind the curtains and with a glance to his alarm clock, Hansol saw it had just gone five in the morning. He let Seungcheol drag him to lie down again and nestled into his side, but lay awake listening to Seungcheol’s breathing until his alarm went off at seven.

He left Seungcheol asleep as he headed out for his eight o’clock tutorial, meeting up with Jinying in the commons and walking with her to their class. When they sat at their usual seats in the computer lab, she logged in and immediately turned to him.

“You look fucking terrible.”

He frowned at his computer screen. “Thanks.”

“No like, ‘I’m worried about you’ kind of terrible.”

Hansol sighed, his shoulders slumping. He didn’t particularly want to talk about what was going on, but Jinying was his best friend outside of The Shop so he found himself dumping everything on her in only a handful of breaths.

She used her toe to spin herself in her chair, arms folded across her chest. “That’s a lot.”

“I’m losing my mind with all of it.”

She looked up, still spinning. “Are you gonna break up with him?”

Hansol spluttered a little. “No, why would I?”

She shrugged. “All of it comes from him and what he got you into. I’m not saying it’s a good idea but it is something that might cross your mind.”

Hansol thought about it for a moment, then shook his head. “Not an option. And it _didn’t_ cross my mind at all, actually.”

Jinying smiled. “That’s gay. Anyway, if these people figure out where you live and shit you can stay at mine; my parents don’t care who I have over and we have like ten spare rooms.”

“I love you.” Hansol typed up a sentence of his essay. “There’s four of us.”

“Easily done. You can have your own rooms if you want.”

Hansol shook his head in amazement. “I love you.”

She smiled triumphantly. “I love you, too. You should probably tell our professor that you’re dealing with a lot of shit right now. I doubt you’ve had much time for uni stuff with all this going on.”

“I was going to do it at the end of the class because I really don’t. I haven’t even done the readings.” With a wave of responsibility overwhelming him, Hansol put his head in his hands. “My life is like a fucking soap opera.”

Jinying put a hand on his shoulder. “But less hetero and with more drugs.”

Hansol groaned into his palms. “When will things stop happening to me?”

 “That’s life, dude; shit happens to you, you eat some shitty food and then you die.”

He dragged his hands down his face and leant back in his chair, sliding down a little. “Can you mercy kill me?”

“I don’t think your boyfriend would appreciate that.”

Hansol let out a huff. “Great friend you are.”

He was glad they could joke together about the situation; everything was far too heavy at The Shop and he needed something to lighten the mood. They spent the last hour of the tutorial giggling as they worked on their essays, and Jinying hung back while he talked to their professor. As they made to leave, she linked her arm with Hansol’s and opened the door for them.

Seungcheol was waiting outside the lab, leaning against the wall and looking down at his phone. He looked up and smiled in relief, walking up to them and placing a hand on Hansol’s waist as he gave him a brief kiss.

“I was worried you’d run off.”

“I’m not letting your weed business ruin my education.” Hansol joked and Jinying snorted next to him. “You remember Jinying?”

Seungcheol smiled politely at her. “Of course; nice to see you again.”

“You too. Hey, I was saying to Han that if you guys need somewhere to stay my place has a heap of spare rooms. Just in case you get found again.”

He seemed taken aback. “Thanks, we should be okay though.”

She shrugged. “Just in case.” She squeezed Hansol’s arm before letting go and heading down to the stairs. “See you tomorrow Han.”

“See you,” Hansol called after her as she disappeared into the stair case.

He took Seungcheol’s hand and they walked to the elevators together, Seungcheol quickly intertwining their fingers.

“Wonwoo’s going back to The Shop to pick up more of our stuff so we can stay away for longer, is that okay?”

“Yeah, whatever keeps you guys safe.”

“Thanks babe.”

Hansol pressed the button for the ground floor, holding onto Seungcheol’s elbow with his free hand. Seungcheol let out a sigh as they started their descent, rubbing Hansol’s thumb with his own.

“Let me know if you want me to go to the motel with the others; I don’t want to get in your way.”

Hansol smiled. “It’s okay, I like having you around.”

“And I like being around,” Seungcheol said through a toothy grin, making Hansol’s heart jump in his chest.

“How’s Mingyu holding up?”

When the elevator got to the bottom floor, Hansol let go of Seungcheol and instead gripped the hem of his sleeve.

“Alright, I think. Wonwoo didn’t seem too concerned.”

“That’s good, do you want to get curly fries?”

Seungcheol groaned. “That sounds amazing.”

They made their way to the café on campus, Seungcheol getting a seat while Hansol ordered. He got a text from Mingyu asking where he was, so he replied with an invitation to join them. By the time the curly fries got to their table, Mingyu had arrived as well. He slid into the booth, taking a chip before he had even sat down properly. He explained that Wonwoo was making dinner at the motel and they were more than welcome to go over later on.

“I’ve been putting off calling Sejoon so hopefully having everyone over will force me to do it.”

Seungcheol nodded, wiping away from aioli from the corner of Hansol’s mouth. “Sounds like a plan.”


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mingyu finally calls Sejoon and the Even More Shit Happens  
> Content Warning: swearing, implied sexual content

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> why ?? do i only update this fic once a month sdkjfhgsd really i fuckin suck lol but hhhhhhhhh i don't want it to end but i'm afraid it might soon lads !!

Wonwoo made them all a curry, which they ate in the single room at the motel whilst spread out across the floor. They watched the news together and Mingyu kept wiping his palms on his jeans as he tried to stop the thumping of his heart. When it was the sports news, Wonwoo muted the television and turned to Mingyu, placing a hand on his knee.

“You have to call him.”

Mingyu sighed. “I know.” He fished his phone out of his pocket as Hansol got up to help himself to more curry.

Mingyu put his phone on speaker as he dialled. It didn’t finish its second ring before Sejoon picked up.

“Heard you got broken into.”

Everyone looked as startled as Mingyu felt.

“How did you know?”

Sejoon laughed. “I know everything, kiddo.”

Mingyu collected himself briefly. “We think it might’ve been the Lees; they took the weed and tried to set The Shop on fire last night.” Hansol visibly shuddered.

“Oh it was definitely the Lees. There’s been talks that you guys are out to get their business and they obviously don’t like that.”

Seungcheol made a pained expression that Mingyu felt in his gut. “We’re just selling out of pocket, though.”

“Not anymore; when you opened up The Shop you opened up to a wider consumer base. You may only have a hundred customers but there’s a huge potential for growth now. _That’s_ what the Lees are worried about.”

“Shit,” Hansol said through a mouthful of curry.

“I assume you’re not dumb enough but just to check; you’re not still staying at The Shop, are you?”

“No; Seungcheol’s staying with Hansol on campus and me and Wonwoo are at a motel across the street.”

“Okay good, as far as I know they don’t know where you are, but you need to be careful now. Don’t go anywhere that isn’t uni or the motel, don’t tell people where you’re staying – you get the idea. If you get compromised I have a safe house you can use.”

“I think we have that sorted,” Mingyu said, watching Hansol shovel more curry into his mouth, “one of Hansol’s friends in his course has offered for us to stay with her.”

“Yeah, Jinying.”

Hansol choked, spitting grains of rice back onto his plate. “How do you know Jinying? What the fuck?”

Sejoon laughed. “I went to school with one of her fathers and he works for me. Complete coincidence that the two of you are friends, but I did mention to Chen that they should offer their place to you guys.”

Hansol lay down on the floor, balancing his plate on his stomach. “My head hurts.”

“Is the kid okay?”

Mingyu smiled a little. “He’s fine. Thanks, by the way.”

“No problem. I’m still looking into things but if you need me down there with you let me know and I’ll get the next train. Kyungmin can handle things over here for a while and I don’t want you lot getting yourselves any deeper in this shit than you already are.”

“Is it bad?”

Sejoon sighed shakily. “I think so kiddo.”

“What do we do?” Seungcheol said as Wonwoo squeezed Mingyu’s knee.

“Lay low for now; don’t want you putting yourselves in any danger. Let me handle it for now and I’ll let you know what’s happening.”

* * *

 

It was a week later when they realised they had to take Jinying up on her offer. Wonwoo and Mingyu had just been grocery shopping, they were distracted and laughing at some stupid joke that neither of them could remember afterwards. Their room had been trashed; eggs smashed on the floor in a puddle of milk, mattresses pulled off the beds and flipped upside down, their clothes strewn around the room. Wonwoo started cleaning as Mingyu called Sejoon with shaking hands, trying his hardest not to cry.

Hansol was already at Jinying’s when it happened, and Seungcheol met them there. It was a huge house, just like she had said, with high ceilings and marble floors that made their footsteps echo. Everything was white or light grey, and immaculately clean. There was no sign of Jinying’s parents as she led them through the house.

When she finally reached one of the bedrooms, she fell backwards onto the large bed, combing her fingers through the fluffy white blanket at the end of it. An equally fluffy and white cat raised its head and stretched, then calmly curling up on her lap.

“My dads are out right now. This is Ember, by the way,” she added, stroking the cat as it purred. “The black one is Mincey, he’s around somewhere.”

Seungcheol set his bag down at the foot of the bed, looking around and admiring the room. “Your dads?”

“Yep, I have two of them. Which means you guys get to be as gay as you want while you’re here.”

Hansol was sitting at the head of the bed. “They’re really cool, you’ll like them.”

Namgi was overseas for a business trip, but Chen joined them for dinner. Afterwards, he pulled out a bottle of Bayley’s and poured them all a small glass. They sat around the coffee table in the living room, Chen in an armchair by the fireplace with Jinying at his feet, Seungcheol and Hansol sharing one couch while Mingyu and Wonwoo shared the other. The Bayley’s warmed Mingyu’s full stomach and calmed him down considerably. He hesitated a little before curling up against Wonwoo’s side.

Wonwoo tensed under him and spared a glance to Chen, who smiled behind his glass. Mingyu sighed contently as Wonwoo slung an arm around him. The six of them were quiet as they sipped their drinks, Mincey finally making an appearance to clean himself in front of the fire. Mingyu found himself feeling peaceful for what felt like the first time in months; the stress of everything around him finally melting away and leaving him pliant and warm. Wonwoo’s shoulder cushioned his head, and he could feel his heartbeat beneath his fingertips where they rested on Wonwoo’s chest.

He didn’t realise he’d been dozing until Chen spoke up. “How are you all holding up?”

Mingyu let out a deep sigh. “I feel like I haven’t slept a solid night in my entire life.”

Chen chuckled lowly as Mincey sprang up into his lap. “Turf wars’ll do that to you.”

Jinying scooted across the floor to lean her cheek on her father’s lap, scratching behind Mincey’s ears.

“It’s gonna get a whole lot worse when you actually confront the Lees.”

Mingyu felt his throat close up. He saw Hansol flinch, his drink sloshing a little before Seungcheol settled a hand over it.

“What do you mean?” Seungcheol asked, his voice even.

Jinying kept looking at her cat. “It’s gonna happen eventually, right Dad?”

He grimaced down at her. “Hopefully not for a while yet, but yes. Eventually you will have to make negotiations with them.”

Wonwoo’s chest rumbled against Mingyu’s fingertips. “I figured that.” When he was met with confused looks from Seungcheol and Hansol, he gave a shrug. “Makes sense. We can’t just ignore this and hope it goes away.”

“Wonwoo’s right,” Chen said, resting his glass on the arm of his chair, “avoiding them won’t help you in the end.”

Seungcheol leant forward and topped up his glass, filling it to twice the amount he started with and knocked back half of it in one go. “You said hopefully not for a while; how long exactly?”

Chen tilted his head a little. “Few weeks at the least, which gives you enough time to figure out what your approach is. But don’t worry about that right now, you boys need to rest.”

Mingyu laughed sleepily. “God do we ever.”

Jinying didn’t bring the situation up again, which Mingyu was thankful for. She talked to Hansol about their classes and asked if Mingyu wanted to use one of her travel pills to help him sleep, (he declined politely; he didn’t want to have a terror and not be able to wake up again). She fell asleep with her cheek squashed against Chen’s knee and he gently roused her.

“I think we should all head to bed, don’t you?”

Jinying nodded, wiping the corner of her mouth where she had dribbled a bit. She looked to Mingyu and Wonwoo.

“Do you remember where your room is?”

Wonwoo answered above Mingyu. “Yes, thank you.”

She gave them a thumbs up and heaved herself to a stand, then collecting their glasses from the table. Mingyu stood and started helping, but she waved him off.

“Go to bed, I’ll sort this out.”

Mingyu was too tired to insist, so he traipsed into the hallway with Wonwoo behind him. He felt a hand on his lower back, quietly supporting him as they found their way through the house to their room. Mingyu started stripping as soon as he got in the door and by the time he was at the foot of the bed, he was down to his boxers. Wonwoo wound his arms around his waist and kissed the side of his neck, making Mingyu roll his head back and groan.

“Not tonight, Wonwoo.”

He braced himself for Wonwoo to keep trying, but his arms left him without protest. Mingyu opened his eyes and saw Wonwoo pick up a handful of towels from a chair in the corner of the room. He threw back the heavy duvet and laid the towels out, getting them ready so Mingyu could crawl onto the bed. Once Mingyu was lying down, Wonwoo spread another towel over top of him, then walked around to the other side of the bed to get changed himself.

Mingyu watched his back as Wonwoo pulled his shirt over his head and stepped out of his jeans. He disappeared behind the bed for a moment and reappeared with a book. Mingyu turned onto his side and nestled into the pillows as Wonwoo lay down beside him and burrowed himself into the duvet. The soft glow of the bedside table outlined his profile in gold, and Mingyu found himself reaching out a finger to trace down his forehead, nose, lips and chin, letting his hand fall to Wonwoo’s chest. Wonwoo looked down at him, holding Mingyu’s hand against his heart.

Wonwoo frowned, and Mingyu mirrored the expression. “Are you okay?”

Wonwoo continued to frown down at him. “I wish I could fix the nightmares.”

Mingyu’s chest clenched. “So do I.”

Wonwoo’s thumb stroked Mingyu’s lightly. “I don’t like it when you’re unhappy.” He brought Mingyu’s fingers to his mouth and kissed them. “You don’t deserve that.”

Mingyu smiled, finding it increasingly difficult to keep his eyes open. “I love you.”

The corner of Wonwoo’s mouth quirked upwards. “I love you too. More than I know how to say.”

Mingyu thought that maybe he wouldn’t have any night terrors that night.

* * *

 

Of course, he was wrong.

He came to properly in the shower, Wonwoo rinsing soap from his body. He turned around to face Wonwoo, his eyes going wide when he saw the early blossom of a bruise on his cheek bone. Wonwoo silenced him before he could apologise.

“It was my fault for getting in the way. Are you okay? It took you longer to wake up this time.”

Mingyu reached out and gripped Wonwoo’s shoulders so hard he thought he might break his own fingers. Wonwoo held his elbows gently, but firm enough to catch him if he fell. The gesture was too much and Mingyu started crying.

Not wanting Wonwoo to ask questions, he stumbled forward and kissed him, pressing as much of his body against Wonwoo as he could. Wonwoo kissed him back willingly, wrapping his arms around Mingyu’s torso as Mingyu grabbed frantically at his shoulders, neck, hair and face. He didn’t know why he felt so overwhelmingly like he was going to lose Wonwoo. Like if he let go of him, he would disappear and Mingyu would be left in the shower alone.

Mingyu started panting and Wonwoo removed an arm to turn off the water. Before Mingyu could protest, the arm was back around him and lifting him out of the shower, carrying him to the bed. Mingyu wrapped his legs around Wonwoo, pulling him ever closer, wanting Wonwoo to absorb him. The thought of being separated from him left Mingyu with a horrible ache in his chest and he bit back his tears as he let Wonwoo sink into him.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time is running out and Sejoon joins the group  
> Content Warning: swearing, implied sexual content

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: why do i only post once a month?  
> me, an hour later: here's the second chapter of the day !!!!

Hansol woke before Seungcheol did, but he was happy to watch Seungcheol’s soft breathing for a while. He hadn’t seen Seungcheol looking so peaceful for a long time – not since before Mikyung’s visit. He thought idly that maybe all of it was her fault, that she was the catalyst and everything after was just the three-act narrative being carried out. He dismissed this, knowing realistically that Mikyung had nothing to do with the Lees and vice versa.

Seungcheol woke with a harsh grunt, jerking his head up and squinting at Hansol before collapsing back onto his pillow with a heavy exhale.

“G’morning,” his voice was muffled.

Hansol laughed, moving a bit of hair from Seungcheol’s eyes. “Morning.”

“What’s the time?”

Hansol lifted his head to look over Seungcheol at the clock on his bedside table. “Half past eight.”

Seungcheol groaned, but he propped himself up on his elbows. “How long have you been awake?”

Hansol shrugged. “A while. Did you sleep alright?”

Seungcheol hummed the affirmative. “Bayley’s helped. What about you?”

“Good, this bed is amazing.”

Seungcheol gave him a dopey smile. “Imagine having this much money.”

Hansol wanted to joke that they would if they took the Lees down, but he held his tongue in favour of putting it in Seungcheol’s mouth.

They kissed lazily for most of the morning, taking breaks to whisper to each other with their fingers tangled beneath the covers. Hansol wanted to stay there the whole day, away from the world and with only Seungcheol for company. Eventually, however, Jinying decided to check on them.

Hansol buried his face in Seungcheol’s chest as he giggled, so Seungcheol replied to the knock on the door by saying it was safe.

Jinying slipped into the room and sat on the end of the bed, crossing her legs under her. Ember had followed her and heaved herself onto the bed, curling up between Hansol and Seungcheol as they sat up.

“You guys want lunch?”

“Probably,” Seungcheol yawned as he stretched. “The others make an appearance yet?”

Jinying watched Ember lick Hansol’s hand. “Yeah, they’re downstairs. Wonwoo’s got Dad started on classic literature.” She shook her head. “Rookie mistake; he’ll never shut up.”

The three of them laughed and Seungcheol climbed out of bed, quickly moving to his bag to pull a shirt on. He straightened up and twisted his torso to crack his back.

“Wonwoo’ll be fine. He’s probably loving having someone he can infodump to.”

When they were both dressed and downstairs, they found Wonwoo completely engrossed in his conversation with Chen. In the two years he’d known him, Hansol had never seen Wonwoo this animated.

Namgi came home from the airport in the early evening, and Hansol didn’t miss the way Seungcheol and Wonwoo watched he and Chen with awe as they cooked together, sharing short kisses and whispers and giggles. Hansol had to admit, it was a lovely sight. He quietly hoped that one day he and Seungcheol could have the life Chen and Namgi did.

They sat in the living room to eat again, Namgi pulling out another bottle of Bayley’s that made Hansol wonder how many they had stashed away in the cabinet. Hansol declined this time, settling for a warm glass of milk instead. Jinying made a joke about it that wasn’t malicious, but Hansol exaggerated a hurt look. She laughed and Seungcheol kissed the side of his head.

The next week or so carried on more or less the same way that first day had; lazy mornings followed by lethargic afternoons and ending with a large dinner and Bayley’s. Hansol was thankful that the Xu’s had a big house so he didn’t feel anymore caged in than he already did. It was a nice break, but he found himself desperate to just go to the shops and buy milk. So when Mingyu got a call from his cousin, a small part of Hansol was relieved that something was happening.

When Mingyu came back into the living room after the phone call, he was wringing his hands and his jaw was clenched.

“Sejoon’s gonna be here tomorrow, he thinks it has to happen soon, fuck,” he then repeated the last word over and over, pacing a little as he still wrung his fingers.

Namgi stood in front of Mingyu. He gripped his upper arms and forced Mingyu to stop.

“This is okay, you can manage it. The Lees still don’t know you’re here and you’re still safe.”

Mingyu nodded, but he still looked scared. Namgi guided him to sit next to Wonwoo, who gripped Mingyu’s hands fiercely.

Namgi started clearing plates as Chen poured the glasses of Bayley’s. “We’ll talk more about it tomorrow, but you boys are welcome to any of our resources; if you need back up or security or anything, we’re more than happy to help out.”

That night, Mingyu’s yells were louder than usual. They rang terrified through the house in a distant way, waking Hansol and making him cling to Seungcheol.

Mingyu looked half dead the next morning, bags heavy under his eyes and his whole body listless. Wonwoo was watching him intently, like if he looked away Mingyu would fade from existence. Mingyu didn’t eat but instead watched his cereal go soggy.

Sejoon was tall and domineering when he stepped over the threshold, and Hansol realised he was making himself smaller to accommodate for the new houseguest. He greeted Jinying’s fathers with firm handshakes, making Hansol feel like he was witnessing a business meeting.

His intimidating nature vanished as soon as he caught sight of Mingyu. He smiled broadly and held his arms out for Mingyu to fall into them. Hansol thought it a bit condescending, but Mingyu seemed to like being spun around by his older cousin.

When the reunions were finished and Sejoon had been introduced to Wonwoo, Seungcheol and Hansol, they all sat around the dining table.

The dining room was impossibly big, with a long, stained wood table that could easily fit twenty people. There was another fireplace at one end and a chandelier hanging from the tall ceiling. The eight of them sat around one end, Hansol on the edge and gripping Seungcheol’s hand under the table. Across from him was Jinying next to her fathers. Sejoon was at the head of the table next to Mingyu, who was holding hands with Wonwoo on the table top. The room was cold, and Hansol wanted to ask if they had heating, but Sejoon started talking before he got the chance.

“Well, kid,” he started with a groan as he lowered himself into his seat, “you really got yourself into a pickle on this one.”

Mingyu bit his lip and looked down at his lap guiltily. At his silence, Sejoon turned to Seungcheol to address him instead.

“You have a decision to make; give in to them or stand your ground. I wouldn’t recommend standing your ground.”

Seungcheol shook his head, squeezing Hansol’s hand. “Wasn’t planning on it.”

“Good. Now we don’t know what demands they’re going to make, but don’t expect to have any business when this is over. I’d be surprised if they even let you keep personal plants.”

Wonwoo frowned. “Why not?”

Chen laughed. “That’s how you started; why would they give you an oppourtunity to do _any_ more selling?”

“So what, I have to buy off them?”

Chen shrugged. “The way I see it.”

Wonwoo clenched his jaw, but leant back and stared at the fireplace. Sejoon watched him for a moment longer before continuing.

“We’ll have guys to watch the building, but do you want someone with you? For protection in case things go sideways.”

“How likely is that to happen?” Seungcheol asked, determined to step up to his leadership role.

Sejoon shared a look with Chen. “Very. They don’t exactly have a peaceful reputation.”

“What should we expect?”

“A lot of threats. If I were you, I’d just agree to everything they say. The only other choice would result in violence and the Lees aren’t known for holding back when it comes to that.”

Seungcheol let out a sigh, leaning back in his chair. “Do we know when we see them?”

Sejoon visibly struggled to supress a smile. “There’s no appointment time, all we know is they’re running out of patience. If you wait longer than a few days you won’t have any choices left, so I suggest you go to them as soon as possible.”

“Do we just,” Seungcheol searched for the words, “turn up and hope they know who we are?”

“They know who you are, but yes. You just turn up.” Chen was talking to Seungcheol, but he was watching Mingyu. “Are you alright?”

The rest of the table turned to look at Mingyu, who was looking worse than he did a minute ago. There was a sheen of sweat gleaming on his forehead as he looked up.

“I’m going to be sick.”

Jinying leapt from her seat so quickly she knocked it back. She ran to Mingyu’s side and helped him stand, then guided him out of the room, presumably to a bathroom. From down the hall, there was the sound of a toilet lid being raised followed by Mingyu vomiting.

Sejoon looked at the door with sympathy and Wonwoo excused himself quietly to follow after them. Seungcheol sighed again. “We shouldn’t take him.” He frowned. “No, I should be the one going. My name’s on the lease so this is my responsibility.”

Sejoon shook his head. “All four of you have to go.”

Seungcheol looked panicked as he tightened his grip on Hansol’s hand. “Three. Only three of us. Hansol didn’t do anything, he just sold books.”

“You said he was the one that met them?”

Hansol’s stomach dropped and the rest of his body went numb. Seungcheol was shaking his head. “That was one day, _one day_ when I needed to be out,” his breathing sped up and his voice betrayed him, “Wonwoo and I couldn’t – it was _one day_ , he’s not a part of this.”

Sejoon furrowed his brows with concern. “If it had been any other day you could’ve gotten away with it, but they know his face and his name. They saw him with the list and they talked to _him_ about the business. He has to be there.”

Seungcheol burst into tears and swore violently, standing from the table and letting go of Hansol’s hand to smack it down on the table top. He walked away from the others, hands on his head as he tried to control his crying. Hansol’s stomach was still in his shoes as the older men looked to him for answers. Hansol cleared his throat, found it was in his shoes as well, and tried to keep his voice even.

“There was another, before I met them. He … didn’t make it. Cheol blames himself.”

Their faces softened and Seungcheol breathed heavily. Sejoon shifted uncomfortably.

“There’s nothing we can change about the situation we’re in now; Hansol has to be with you. We’ll organise for someone to accompany you so you’re safer. It’s all precautionary, though. We don’t think they’ll do any _serious_ harm.”

Seungcheol’s voice was ragged. “Will they kill him?”

Hansol felt his own eyes go hot and he willed himself not to cry.

“Not if you explain yourself, but it shouldn’t come to that. So long as you don’t let things escalate and agree to all their terms, you’ll be safe.”

Finally, Seungcheol turned back to them. He was crying freely and silently. “We go tomorrow. There’s no point waiting any longer, and I don’t want Mingyu any more stressed than he needs to be.”

“I’ll make some calls about back up,” Chen said, and Namgi stood up and left the room. “Do you boys need anything else?”

Seungcheol took a long, shaky breath. “I need a moment with my boyfriend.”

He nodded, rising with Sejoon and leaving Seungcheol and Hansol alone together in the huge, chilly dining room.

Hansol slowly stood up, going to Seungcheol’s side and wrapping his arms around him. He pressed kisses to Seungcheol’s temple, allowing Seungcheol to cry onto his chest.

“I’ll be okay,” he lied, wincing as he stepped on his own stomach, “nothing’s going to happen to me.”

Seungcheol started sobbing loudly. They slowly sank to the floor, where Hansol gathered Seungcheol into his lap and rocked him a little. When his cries finally subsided, he pulled his face from Hansol’s chest and placed both hands on Hansol’s cheeks.

“I will die before you do. Don’t,” he stopped Hansol from protesting, “I will not let them kill you. I will not let them.”

Seungcheol kissed him then, wet and chaste and multiple times. Between kisses, Hansol promised he would live, over and over again.

* * *

 

Mingyu managed to force down some food at dinner, and Wonwoo rubbed his back as he ate. He still looked pale and sweaty, but less nauseous than he had in the dining room.

Hansol found himself starving and had two extra helpings. He declined the Bayley’s, which everyone else drank spare Mingyu and Jinying. Seungcheol stopped himself after three glasses, and Wonwoo after six. Everyone agreed to get an early night, so they were in bed by eleven o’clock.

When Seungcheol crawled up the bed after turning out the light, he attached his lips to Hansol’s in the dark. He straddled Hansol’s lap, their hips flush against each other. The emotions of the day and the fear of tomorrow had Hansol clawing at Seungcheol’s back, pulling his hair and bucking his hips to meet Seungcheol’s

He held Seungcheol’s face in his hands and pulled them apart. Seungcheol’s cheeks were wet.

Hansol tried to calm his breathing before he spoke. “I’m ready.”

Seungcheol shook his head. “Not now, not like this.”

Hansol kissed underneath Seungcheol’s eyes. “Especially now.” When Seungcheol still shook his head, Hansol’s voice broke. “Please.”

It was wet with tears and it was awkward and uncomfortable and desperate, but it was so full of love that Hansol felt he was going to burst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i tried to make the bit leading to the sex different but i guess the reasons n shit are still the same so ?? lol anyway i love my boys and someone needs to take them away from me before i do some serious damage  
> also ... listen to happy by marina and the diamonds. it's how cheol feels about hansol it's cute n sad BYE


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys finally come face to face with the Lees

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hopefully this isn't too difficult to follow, I played around with the spacing a bit and it should be okay but let me know if it's too confusing lol  
> Content Warning: drugs ment (obvs but it's heavier in this chapter), dissociation (it doesn't last long and is only the first section really), guns, swearing, abelism if you squint really really hard

The only way Mingyu was going to make it through the day was if he dissociated, so that’s what he forced himself to do. He watched everyone around him but didn’t interact. Let himself be steered around by Wonwoo’s hand on his arm, just above his elbow. Their body guard’s name was unimportant but he was big and intimidating when he wasn’t smiling, so Mingyu accepted his presence. He vaguely registered Wonwoo explaining to the others that Mingyu was dissociating, but Mingyu was too busy staring at some chipping paint to really pay attention.

The body guard drove them to where they would meet the Lees. Seungcheol was in the front seat and reached a hand back to grasp Hansol’s. Both of them had puffy eyes, and Mingyu realised they’d spent the night crying. He looked at Wonwoo, who smiled at him. He wanted to return the smile, but his face was detached from the rest of his body so all he did was blink and then look out of the window.

Mingyu didn’t get a look at what the building was like, but it had an intercom that Seungcheol spoke into. Several men the same size as Mingyu’s group’s own body guard opened the door and escorted them up the stairs. Mingyu didn’t pay attention to how long they waited in the hallway before they were patted down for a third or second time and led into an office room. A man and woman entered; the woman tall and willowy and the man short and stout. Mingyu realised their body guard was gone.

 

“What, he a fucking vegetable?” Hansol flinched as Lee Minji stood in front of Mingyu, waving her hand in his face.

“He’s unwell,” Wonwoo offered, his face blank.

Minji straightened up and walked around behind her desk. Her husband – whose name Hansol still didn’t know – stood by her side.

“You four have been giving us a damn headache. What took you so long to get to us? I thought we sent our invitation months ago.”

Seungcheol swallowed before he answered. “All due respect, but we’re just kids. We don’t know how this works.”

Minji smiled sweetly, leaning forward. “Let me tell you how this works. You stop selling drugs on our turf. If you don’t stop, we kill you. Does that make sense to you _kids_ , or do I need to simplify it more?”

“No, that makes sense.”

“Good. So do you pinky promise you won’t sell anymore shit where you have no business selling?”

Seungcheol nodded.

“Great, I was worried you’d put up a fight. Now,” she folded her hands on the desk, “let’s discuss payments.”

Seungcheol frowned. “I’m sorry?”

“We took your plants and what you had in your till, but that’s only a fraction of what we’ve lost because of you. So; payments. We’ll want a list of your customers and for you to refer them to us. Sooner, rather than later.”

 

Mingyu’s ears were stuffed with cotton as he stared at the potted plant in the corner of the room. He knew people were talking but struggled to figure out who they were or what they were saying. He was a million miles away, existing in a vacuum where nothing could touch him.

He was brought back and the cotton was torn from his ears as a short, stocky man fired a gun into the ceiling.

Mingyu felt like he’d been punched back into his body as he took a deep breath and gripped the edge of his chair. The world spun a few times before it righted and he figured out where he was. He looked around frantically for the gun and followed its aim right to Hansol’s face.

Mingyu thought he might pass out, but fought it off so that he could watch what was happening. Hansol looked oddly calm as he stared down the barrel of Mr. Lee’s gun. Seungcheol had risen to his feet and was moving to stand in front of Hansol when the gun was turned on him.

“Do it.” Mingyu realised Seungcheol was crying. “Don’t hurt him; kill me instead.”

A woman sitting at the desk spoke – Mingyu realised she was Lee Minji – and Mingyu looked at her.

“What would we have to gain? If we kill Hansol we cause more pain. You’ll be forgotten. Only the people back home on the farms will care about you. We kill Hansol here,” she looked back to him, “we hurt more people and you get the message more clearly.”

Seungcheol kept crying, but he stood his ground. “You cannot kill him.”

Minji dropped her smile. “Then tell your dog to keep his mouth shut.”

Mingyu looked to his friends, confused as to who she was referring to. When he noticed the hard set of Wonwoo’s jaw, he realised.

 

Hansol thought he would be more scared than this. He thought that looking a gun in the eye would have him crying and shaking, but instead he felt nothing. He thought that logically, he had gone into shock. But a more romantic side of him thought he was being brave. He listened to the others, but his eyes were fixated on the opening of the gun as it moved from Seungcheol and turned back on himself.

He wanted to be angry at Minji, and he was; for what she was saying about Seungcheol not mattering and calling Wonwoo a dog. But he knew he couldn’t give that away less he be killed on the spot. Finally, Mingyu spoke up.

“Wonwoo, shut up.”

Wonwoo made a sound as if he wanted to speak but Mingyu cut him off.

“I don’t care what the fuck happened, you need to shut up. Do you want to have Hansol’s blood on your hands?”

There was a silence that lasted for a while, and then Wonwoo shifted in his seat. Mingyu let out a heavy sigh of relief.

“Wonwoo apologises for being an asshole and promises to accept whatever you tell him to do,” Mingyu stated.

“Can’t he speak for himself? He wasn’t having any problems with that a moment ago.”

Hansol didn’t know how, but Mingyu found it in himself to laugh. “He’s realised how bad of an idea that was.”

There was another silence and Hansol waited for the trigger to be pulled. In the few minutes the gun had been pointed at him, he’d made peace with his death. It didn’t seem like an entirely bad idea. Maybe he’d get to meet Hanbin.

It took Hansol a moment to realise the gun had been lowered.

 

Mingyu let out a slow breath and Seungcheol finally sat down again, but his position said he was ready to stand up again at a moment’s notice. Mingyu’s heartbeat was so loud in his ears that it was giving him a headache and all he wanted to do was go back to dissociating, but he was too wound up by that point. Everything was so overwhelmingly real and immediate that he didn’t feel like he could afford to slip away.

He resisted the urge to reach for Wonwoo’s hand. He wanted to ask what he’d missed, but didn’t know what would happen then and didn’t want the Lees to know their group had a weak point. Thankfully, Seungcheol stepped in.

“Wonwoo,” he shifted in his seat so that he could see both Wonwoo and Hansol, “I’m sure you can survive without weed.”

Mingyu filled in the gaps, heard Wonwoo’s defiant _I won’t buy from you,_ and made a note to slap him when this was all over.

Wonwoo exhaled through his nose. “I’ll have to.”

Minji interrupted them. “There’s a third option.”

“You mean second,” Seungcheol corrected her, and elaborated after he was met with a confused look. “Hansol’s death isn’t an option. What’s the second.”

Minji smiled in a way that made Mingyu think she was impressed. It made him sick to his stomach.

“If you want to continue selling – and smoking,” she added with a sideways glance to Wonwoo, “we are willing to employ you as sellers.” She waited a moment for this to sink in before standing up and walking to the front of her desk. She leant against it and crossed her ankles. “You’d keep your customers and your weed; the only thing that would change is your pay check. We would of course take a percentage of what you make from your sales.”

 

Hansol’s ears were ringing with his panic. The fear that had evaded him as he had a gun pointed at his head finally caught up with him and he tensed every muscle in his body, ready to flee. What Minji was saying made sense in that he knew she was speaking the same language as him, but the meaning of her words was almost lost on him.

Seungcheol set his jaw before answering, and it took Hansol a moment to understand him as well. “So you’d be our supplier?”

Minji nodded. “We’d take about thirty percent and you’d be free to smoke as much weed as your young heart’s desire.” She reached out a hand and gently cupped Wonwoo’s jaw. Hansol saw his fist clench as he held himself back from swatting her away. “But if you’re not comfortable being part of a gang, of course we understand that.”

Seungcheol chewed the inside of his mouth. “Please could we have a moment? I want to discuss this first – privately, if that’s alright.”

Minji shared a look with her husband, who nodded. She looked back to Seungcheol. “Two minutes.”

The two of them left, locking the door behind them. Seungcheol turned to Hansol as soon as the lock clicked, brushing his hair back from his face and holding his cheeks hard enough for it to hurt a little. Hansol welcomed the feeling.

“You’re alive,” he said, voice low and measured. “God that was so close.”

As he spun around to raise a hand to Wonwoo, he was cut off by the sound of Mingyu slapping Wonwoo.

“Ow,” Wonwoo said simply, rubbing his cheek.

Mingyu looked furious. “You fucking asshole; is weed really more important than Hansol? Fucking asshole.”

Wonwoo rounded on him. “I didn’t know they’d put a gun on him, I was as scared as the rest of you.” He turned to look at Hansol, still rubbing his cheek. “I’m sorry.”

The three of them watched Hansol, who found it difficult to blame Wonwoo in the first place.

“They were looking for a reason to pull the gun, I think.” When Wonwoo didn’t acknowledge this, he added; “I forgive you.”

Wonwoo smiled faintly, using his free hand to reach across Seungcheol and pat Hansol’s knee. Seungcheol and Mingyu shared a look, Seungcheol shrugging it off.

“Now that’s settled; what do we think?”

Wonwoo was the first to reply. “I think we should take it, and not _just_ because I still want weed,” he added to cut off Seungcheol’s protest. “We’ll go back to normal, probably get a bigger consumer base and better protection. Only thing stopping us is Sejoon.”

 

Mingyu took a moment to figure out what Wonwoo was suggesting.

“Sejoon’s never mentioned them being rivals. I don’t know how to check from here, though.”

“You could ask them,” Hansol offered. His face was still drained of all colour.

“What if they are and we get killed on the spot?”

Hansol slumped. “Fair point.”

“Sejoon would’ve said something if they were,” Wonwoo pointed out. “It’d be an important bit of information.”

“Also a fair point,” Hansol agreed.

Mingyu looked to Seungcheol for the final say. He was still frowning, still visibly suppressing sobs. As he took in a breath to talk, the Lees re-entered the room, assuming the positions they had before they left.

“So,” Minji said, crossing her ankles and smiling at Seungcheol, “have you made a decision?”

Seungcheol looked panicked for a moment before blurting out; “Kim Sejoon.”

Minji looked startled but quickly composed herself. “What about him?”

Seungcheol floundered, so Mingyu spoke up for him. “He’s my cousin. We want to say yes but we don’t know if you have,” Mingyu cringed even as he said the next word, “beef with him.”

Minji laughed, short and patronising. “Oh no, we respect each other’s territory – something you boys could learn.” She pursed her lips. “I don’t see how that would cause conflict. We might even be able to form an affiliation.” She waved a hand, dismissing the thought. “That’s for us grown-ups to talk about. So is it a yes?”

Mingyu and the others shared looks, Seungcheol turning back to Minji and nodding.

“I think so.”

She smiled down in triumph, holding her hand out for Seungcheol to shake. “We’ll send the details to you later on, for now you can go back to your shop and get settled back in. Welcome to the team.”

 

Hansol was grateful to Mingyu for taking the front seat on the drive back to the Xu’s house. He took the oppourtunity to attach himself to Seungcheol’s side, gripping his hand as hard as his fingers would let him. Seungcheol gripped him back just as fiercely, pressing kisses to Hansol’s temple as Seungcheol cried freely and silently in the backseat. Every time Hansol looked at Wonwoo, he was staring emotionless at Mingyu in the front seat.

Jinying was the first to the door and Hansol collapsed into her arms, barely getting through the door before his knees gave out. She and Seungcheol carried him into the living room, where her fathers and Sejoon were gathered to wait for their return. After seeing the state Hansol was in, Namgi leapt up from the couch and disappeared, re-emerging a moment later with a large paramedic bag. Jinying laid Hansol down on a couch and Seungcheol stood over him with a worried look.

As Namgi did a general check up on Hansol, the other three recounted the meeting to Sejoon and Chen, Jinying also listening intently. Seungcheol choked around the word _gun_ , so Wonwoo took over in telling them about that part. Namgi laughed in a sad sort of way as he checked Hansol’s eyes.

“I’m not surprised you’re having a panic attack, then.” He started packing his kit away. “You’re fine, just need water and rest.”

“Thank you,” Hansol said, immediately looking to Seungcheol as Namgi stood up to put the kit away. In a moment, Seungcheol was at his side, holding one of his hands in both of his. He kissed Hansol’s knuckles one at a time.

“We agreed to sell for them,” Mingyu said abruptly, making everyone snap their heads around to look at him. He slowly met Sejoon’s eyes. “Seemed like the only way to make things go back to how they were and they said it wouldn’t be a problem with you.”

Sejoon looked shocked. “Me? No, no I don’t have a problem with it in a business sense. But you guys are just kids, are you sure you want to get involved with a gang on this scale?”

Mingyu shrugged. “You made your first deal with you were fourteen.”

Sejoon made a few attempts at a protest, but realised that Mingyu had a point and conceded. “You’re an adult; do what you want.”

Hansol saw Mingyu smile for what felt like the first time in years. “Thanks, Joon-bug.”

Sejoon winced at the nick name, but replied without hesitation. “No problem, Gyuber.”

They ordered pizza for dinner that night, and Hansol didn’t decline the Bayley’s.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want yall to know that I have a playlist that I listen to while I write and these are the songs on it
> 
> 1\. Check In, Seventeen  
> 2\. Young Forever, BTS  
> 3\. Egoist, Roy Kim (more for the sound and feel than the meaning)  
> 4\. Happy, Marina and the Diamonds (UM THIS IS SEUNGCHEOL ABOUT HANSOL BYE I CRIED REAL TEARS OVER THIS)  
> 5\. You Never Walk Alone, BTS 
> 
> if u have any suggestions let me know I'm always looking to add to it !!


	19. Epilogue

Hansol moved into The Shop for his last year of university, making it horribly crowded. No one much minded, however, and they quickly settled into new routines in the weeks that followed his move.

The new business that was brought in by their partnership with the Lees meant that all four of them could pay off their student loans far sooner than they had planned. Seungcheol was less stressed with less responsibility, and Wonwoo had a lot more free time to read. Mingyu started working in The Shop alongside Hansol, who took the oppourtunity to work on his novel during shifts.

Seungcheol’s parents came up to visit them, and Mingyu cried when he was told about Hanbin. The ceremony that took place on a hillside by the coast to unveil Hanbin’s bench was quiet and emotional, with Seungcheol giving a speech that brought everyone to tears. Afterwards, Mingyu and Wonwoo left the others and headed down the winding path towards the beach at the end of it.

They took off their shoes and ran through the sand together, Wonwoo dragging Mingyu into the edge of the water with the cuffs of their jeans rolled up to their knees. As they laughed and splashed each other, Mingyu appreciated where he was in his life.

Wonwoo had severed ties with his mother and no longer had contact with her. Hansol and Seungcheol were happy together and were talking about travelling across Europe. Mingyu hadn’t had a night terror since the night before he met the Lees and Wonwoo was there every morning when he woke up. He couldn’t find it in him to worry about anything and the feeling filled his chest so much it almost hurt.

Wonwoo moved to stand beside him in the sand, the waves rocking up to lick at their toes. They linked pinkies and looked out to the horizon as the sun turned the world into gold. Mingyu smiled.

“I’m so happy, Wonwoo.”

Wonwoo squeezed his pinky. “I am, too.” After a pause, he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “We should get married.”

It should have taken Mingyu by surprise, but he was so placated that all he could do was turn his head and smile dopily at Wonwoo. “Are you proposing to me, Jeon Wonwoo?”

Wonwoo looked out across the water, but smiled broadly. “I am, Kim Mingyu.”

Mingyu faced forward again. “I would love to marry you.”

Wonwoo stepped around in front of Mingyu, placing his hands on Mingyu’s hips as they kissed.

“I love you so much.”

Mingyu smiled, wrapping his arms around Wonwoo’s neck. “I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good god this took me way longer than it should have to write. I'm so emotional and I put this off a lot because I really didn't want to finish writing it. I love these boys so much and they mean so much to me and I actually cried because I didn't want this to end.   
> Thank you so much for all your support, it's been so encouraging over the months it took me to write this. Sorry if this is a bit short, but really I'm not sure that there was anything else to say. Also, this is a first draft and I have plenty of time to tweak it. I will be editing this to get ready to send to a publishing company (which has been my plan pretty much since day one) and so if I have any updates to it I'll add that to a series on here. Don't think this is the end!! I have a lot of editing to do and side stories are bound to happen!!!!  
> Again, thank you so much for all your support. I'm so glad you loved my boys as much as I do.


End file.
